.1 


UCSB   LIBRARY 


GEORGE  L.  GOULD 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH 


OF  THE 


PAINT,   OIL,  VARNISH 

AND 

ALLIED  TRADES 

OF  BOSTON 

SINCE     1800,     A.  D. 


GEORGE  L.  GOULD 


AN  ADDRESS,  ORIGINALLY  DELIVERED  IN  BOSTON  BEFORE  THE  PAINT  AND 

OIL  CLUB  OF  NEW  ENGLAND,  FEBRUARY  12  AND  MARCH  26,  1914, 

WITH   ADDITIONS   AND   CORRECTIONS  TO   AUGUST,    1914 


PRINTED   BY  VOTK  OF   THE  CLUB   FOR 
PRIVATE  CIRCULATION 


he  inserts  represent  some  of  the  early  members  of  the  Trade  who  have  died,  and 
also  some  representative  men  of  later  date,  all  having  commenced  in  the  line  prior  to  1890. 
Names  of  those  deceased  are  designated  with  an  *. 


MR.  PRESIDENT  AND  GENTLEMEN: 

It  has  been  often  said  that  when  a  man  begins  to 
"  reminisce"  it  is  a  pretty  sure  sign  that  he  is  getting  old. 
While  this  (I  hope,  at  any  rate,  in  my  case)  is  not  always 
true,  it  is  a  fact  that  he  is  getting  older,  and  it  is  also 
true  that  he  gets  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  in  the  process, 
even  if  his  auditors  or  readers  do  not.  Many  histories 
would  be  much  less  authentic  and  devoid  of  many  im- 
portant particulars  and  interesting  events,  were  it  not 
for  personal  letters  and  autobiographies.  Some  of  the 
latter,  in  certain  portions,  are  dreary  reading,  perhaps 
necessarily  so,  but  I  would  wade  through  a  dozen  of 
them,  for  the  sake  of  reading  the  remarkable  work  in 
two  volumes  —  The  Autobiography  of  Andrew  D.  White 
—  which  is  a  history  in  itself,  besides  being  one  of  the 
most  interesting  books  I  have  ever  read.  Of  course, 
it  seems  laughable  to  refer  even  to  this  fascinating 
book  in  connection  with  this  trivial  production  of  mine, 
but  it  is  done  mainly  to  show  the  value  of  recording 
facts  or  what  one  thinks  to  be  facts,  from  time  to  time, 
some  of  which  are  of  interest,  while  some  are  dull,  although 
all  may  be  of  value  to  some  people,  especially  at  a  later 
date.  Perhaps  a  considerable  portion  of  this  sketch 
might  be  called  gossip,  inasmuch  as  I  have  relied  quite 
a  deal  on  my  memory  or  statements  of  others,  and  you 
know  that  one  fact  or  statement  is  said  to  be  gossip, 
and  two  or  more  facts  or  statements  that  are  related, 
and  especially  if  corroborated,  may  be  called  history, 
so  you  can  take  your  choice,  and  as  you  pay  no  money, 
you  see  that  I  am  not  responsible. 

PAINT  has  been  reckoned  as  one  of  the  humble  and 
homely  of  the  sisterhood  of  perennially  young  and  vir- 
tuous handmaidens,  who  have  assisted  in  the  ameliora- 
tion of  the  human  race.  It  can  be  truly  said  of  her  as 
of  her  more  spiritual  sister,  Charity,  that  she  often 
covers  a  multitude  of  sins.  She  has  walked  steadily  hi 


4  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

the  straight  paths  of  fact,  despite  the  insinuations  of 
a  certain  Professor  in  North  Dakota,  that  unscrupulous 
men  had  endeavored  to  lure  her  into  the  by-ways  of 
subterfuge  and  fiction.  Occasionally,  she  has  wandered 
into  the  fields  of  literature,  and  it  must  be  confessed 
that  once  or  twice  I,  myself,  have  essayed  to  conduct 
her  —  in  a  purely  Platonic  manner  —  through  the  cir- 
cuitous and  uneven  footways  of  poesy.  Her  reception 
of  my  advances  has  shown  me,  however,  that  I  am  not 
a  great  success  as  a  poetical  Lothario.  She  did,  however, 
achieve  considerable  renown  and  resulting  happiness 
to  herself  and  others,  when  she  was  induced  by  a  much 
more  fascinating  and  worthy  admirer  and  friend,  to  take 
a  trip  with  him  into  his  favorite  field  of  fiction  and  phil- 
osophy—  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Silas  Lapham,  acting  as  chaperons. 
I  well  remember  reading  the  story  of  that  excursion  as 
told  by  the  delightful  author,  William  Dean  Howells, 
in  the  "Rise  of  Silas  Lapham,"  written  thirty  years  or 
more  ago. 

Mr.  Howells  tells  me  that  the  idea  of  the  paint  mine 
came  to  him  on  being  told  that  a  farmer  in  Lexington, 
Mass.,  was  very  much  excited  at  discovery  in  the  roots 
of  a  blown  down  and  uprooted  tree,  of  what  seemed 
to  be  the  very  best  metallic  paint.  He  then  interviewed 
certain  Boston  paint  men  (unknown  to  them)  and  thus 
obtained  useful  information  as  to  paint,  which  he  used 
very  shrewdly,  especially  as  to  change  of  location  of 
the  mines  and  works  to  Vermont,  and  also  the  subse- 
quent change  in  the  situation  through  competition  from 
the  south,  and  events  of  the  last  thirty  years  or  more 
have  fully  justified  the  prediction. 

I  wish,  and  indeed  would  urge,  that  the  present  gener- 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES         5 

ation  read  Mr.  Howells'  books  which  combine  delightful 
stories,  practical  philosophy,  and  fascinating  travel. 

I  think  we  are  too  prone  to  belittle  our  own  business, 
which  really  is  as  honorable  as  necessary,  and,  indeed, 
as  interesting  as  any  other  industry  —  associated,  as 
it  is,  with  brilliant  and  varied  colors,  which  are  needed 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  aesthetic  and  sentimental,  as 
well  as  the  practical  phases  of  life.  Some  of  our  oils 
make  things  to  run  more  smoothly,  and  paints,  varnishes 
and  colors  most  certainly  tend  to  protect  and  to  beautify, 
thus  bringing  together  the  material  and  the  beautiful. 
In  this  connection,  I  am  tempted  to  interject  some 
observations  which  I  made  on  a  previous  anniversary 
occasion  and  which  seem  to  cover  the  points  just  referred 
to: 

Some  folks  think  our  trade  is  common,  and  at  times  I 

think  so,  too : 
What  with  dank  and  noisome  odors,  dirt  and  dust  that 

fall  like  dew, 
Clothes  bespoiling,  features  soiling,  fresh  complaints  in 

every  mail, 

'Tis  no  wonder  Competition  makes  a  host  of  men,  to  fail. 
•     *     *     *     * 

Let  us  leave  this  gloomy  picture,  turning  to  the  other 

side; 
When  you've  gazed  enough  upon  it,  then  is  born  becoming 

pride. 
Paint  is  needed  and  a  blessing;  on  these  points  we're 

up  to  date; 
Let  me  show  you  why  our  products  should  inspire  and 

educate. 


6  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

How  monotonous   and  wasteful,  were  it  not  for  good 

mixed  paint! 
(We  are  now  pure  lead  including,  otherwise  there'd  be 

complaint). 

How  it  beautifies  the  landscape!  Even  Labor  it  exalts, 
And,  like  Charity,  it  covers  a  whole  multitude  of  faults. 

How  it  adds  to  joys  of  traveling!  How  refreshing  is  the 

sight 
Of  a  pure  white  village  spire,  reaching  upward  for  the 

light! 
Lowly  cots  and  lordly  houses  —  varied  shades  to  suit 

each  taste  — 
Make  a  charming  panorama,  where  might  be  a  dreary 

waste. 

Yet  how  could  the  old  immortals  without  kindly  aid  of 

paint 
Have  transferred  to  living  canvas  Christly  child  and 

mother  saint? 
Drear  would  be  the  hall  or  parlor  without  gems  of  artist's 

brush; 
Cold  the  mimic  stage  or  cloister  without  fresco's  softening 

hush. 

As  we  watch  the  restless  ocean,  in  the  changing,  flashing 

light, 
How    our    colors    glisten,    deepen  —  greens    and    blues 

'midst  foamy  white. 
Floating  on  some  pond  or  river,  pushing  tangled  greens 

apart, 
What  is  purer  than  the  lily  with  its  graceful  yellow  heart? 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES         7 

Watch  the  lovely,  feathered  songsters,  or  the  strutting 

peacock's  plume; 
Should  you  try  to  match  the  colors,  ridicule  would  be 

your  doom. 
In  the  gardens,  fields  or  forests,  half  concealed  in  leafy 

bower, 
We  find  shades  of  rarest  beauty  far  beyond  the  artist's 

power. 

Daisies,  buttercups  and  pansies,  violets  —  emblems  of 
hope, 

Columbines,  sweet  peas,  nasturtiums  make  a  gay  kaleido- 
scope. 

What  a  background  is  the  verdure,  with  its  varied  shades 
of  green, 

Turned  by  icy  touch  of  autumn  to  its  red  and  golden  sheen. 

Countless  are  the  roadside  flowers,  wild  with  freedom's 

careless  grace, 
Showing  colors  past  conception,  each  tint  perfect  in  its 

place. 
Near  the  brook  the  tearful  gentian  lifts  her  head  of  lovely 

blue 
To  his  Eminence,  the  Cardinal,  garbed  in  robe  of  richest 

hue. 

E'en  dull  Earth  must  pay  us  tribute,  from  her  storehouse 

deep  and  wide; 
Clays  and  oxides  ground  to  powder,  changed  by  fire  are 

purified. 
Sable  black,  we  must  remember,  does  not  always  stand 

for  gloom, 
And,  though  lamp  black  aids  the  painter,  we  all  give 

it  largest  room. 


8  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

What  a  marv'lous  transformation  from  those  dull,  cold 

blocks  of  lead 
To  fresh  flecks  of  fleecy  whiteness  —  pure  enough  for 

angel's  bed; 

As  if  purified  by  suffering,  yea,  by  Torture's  acid  breath  - 
Resurrected,  white  and  spotless,  after  centuries  of  death. 

Think  of  all  the  gorgeous  sunsets  —  yellows,  crimsons, 

purples,  red — 
Shading  into  inky  blackness  when  the  moon  has  hid  her 

head. 
Likely  now  up  hi  the  heavens,  by  soft,  fleecy  breezes 

fanned. 
All  the  colors  of  the  rainbow  bear  some  color  dealer's 

brand. 

All  the  brush  men  look  up  higher  —  straining  both  their 

arms  and  eyes, 
For   some   new   celestial   dusters,   made  from   birds  of 

Paradise. 
Well,  dear  friends,  make  one  more  trial;  give  us  now  a 

mottler  rare 
That  will  blend  our  Earth  with  Heaven,  making  speech 

and  action  fair. 

Don't  you  see  now  why  I've  lectured?    Haven't  I  shown 

to  you  tonight 
High  and  noble  is  our  calling?    Show  me  one  has  better 

right 

To  incite  high  aspirations,  or  the  world  to  better  make. 
If  you  get  my  ideas  clearly,  let  us  then  fresh  courage  take. 

***** 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES         9 

What  I  have  to  say  about  the  paint,  oil,  and  varnish, 
and  allied  lines  of  business,  I  shall  endeavor  to  confine 
largely  to  those  concerns  which  were  started  prior  to 
twenty  years  ago,  and  many  of  which  exist  today  through 
various  changes,  referring  only  briefly  to  those  organized 
or  appearing  among  us  in  later  years.  There  is  very 
much  that  could  be  said  and  necessarily  any  article  of 
this  kind  is  really  too  long  to  tax  your  patience,  at  one 
time,  and  I  shall  be  obliged  to  deliver  it  in  two  portions. 
I  will  try  and  make  it  as  short  as  possible,  and  will  of 
course,  have  to  make  some  omissions  which  I  would 
like  to  include.  It  does  not  pretend  to  be  a  complete 
history,  and  a  considerable  number  of  names  of  indi- 
viduals and  firms  doubtless  prominent  in  their  time  are 
not  named,  or  only  casually  referred  to,  because  of  no 
connection  with  recent  times.  There  will  naturally 
be  some  inaccuracies,  and  unintentional  omissions,  and 
for  these  and  other  lapses,  and  for  the  length  of  time 
taken,  I  ask  your  indulgence  in  advance. 

Neither  should  this  be  considered  hi  any  way  to  be 
a  history  of  the  Paint  and  Oil  Club,  which  was  formed 
thirty  years  ago  this  month  of  February.  A  history 
of  the  early  days  of  the  Club  was  well  covered  in  a  very 
comprehensive  historical  sketch,  prepared  and  read 
by  Past  President  William  Agge  at  the  March  meeting 
of  the  Club,  held  in  1897.  Perhaps  at  some  future  time 
its  history  from  1897  can  be  written,  say  on  the  fortieth 
anniversary  of  its  founding.  As  a  matter  of  record, 
on  this  thirtieth  anniversary,  I  would  state  that  the 
Club  —  which  was  one  of  the  very  first  large  business 
dinner  clubs  —  is  at  present  in  a  flourishing  condition, 
the  membership  being  as  follows:  153  active  Boston 


10  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

members,  47  out-of-town  members,  15  honorary  mem- 
bers. The  Club  has  a  good  balance  in  its  treasury 
and  has  helped  along  many  good  causes  financially  and 
otherwise.  The  present  officers  are  as  follows: 

George  A.  Richardson,  President;  C.  C.  Lowell,  Vice- 
President;  George  J.  Beake,  Secretary-Treasurer. 

Directors:  William  E.  Bowden,  E.  W.  Osborne,  W.  H. 
Kirkpatrick,  George  W.  Bacheller,  Charles  S.  Robbins, 
H.  F.  Staples,  Charles  E.  Newell. 

The  first  Board  of  Government  elected  thirty  years 
ago  this  month  of  February  consisted  of  Charles  Richard- 
son, President;  John  D.  Morton,  Vice-President;  Franklin 
K.  Dexter,  Treasurer;  John  P.  May,  Secretary. 

Directors:  William  B.  Bird,  Daniel  G.  Tyler,  George 
L.  Gould. 

During  thirteen  of  the  twenty-eight  intervening  years, 
the  office  of  Secretary  was  filled  by  Mr.  Charles  W. 
Willis,  a  former  newspaper  correspondent  for  Trade 
Journals,  including  the  New  England  Grocer  and  Trades- 
man. After  having  been  chosen  editor  of  that  publi- 
cation —  a  position  which  he  still  holds  —  he  was  com- 
pelled to  relinquish  the  position  of  Secretary  of  the  Club, 
much  to  the  regret  of  the  members,  who  elected  him  as 
an  honorary  member. 

It  might  be  interesting  to  observe  at  this  time  that 
an  inspection  of  the  large  original  picture  of  the  members 
of  the  Club,  taken  in  the  summer  of  1888,  which  I  have 
in  my  office,  representing  sixty-three  members,  shows 
that  forty  have  died,  eight  are  entirely  out  of  the  business, 
eight  have  changed  from  active  to  honorary  membership, 
leaving  only  seven  of  the  sixty-three,  in  what  might 
be  called  active  service.  These  seven  are  George  H. 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       11 

Shaw,  Walter  Tufts,  Lew  C.  Hill,  Charles  F.  Rowland, 
Robert  D.  Archer,  Frederick  H.  Newton,  and  myself, 
and  as  nearly  as  I  can  make  out,  of  the  original  or  charter 
members  of  the  Club,  who  joined  thirty  years  ago  this 
month  of  February,  1914,  I  am  the  only  so-called  active 
one  remaining,  the  other  active  members  referred 
to  having  joined  after  that  date.  This  shows  how 
many  changes  can  take  place  in  a  comparatively  brief 
space  of  time. 

Another  illustration  of  this,  and  showing  also  how 
much  depends  on  the  point  of  view,  is  this :  When  I  began 
in  the  business  as  a  boy  in  1867,  I  used  to  look  upon 
Franklin  King,  the  Messrs.  Bird,  John  Briggs,  Asahel 
Wheeler,  A.  L.  Cutler  and  George  S.  Dexter  as  veritable 
patriarchs  who  had  been  in  business  such  an  awfully 
long  time  —  and  yet  they  had  then  been  engaged  in 
trade  as  partners  on  their  own  account  only  twenty- 
eight,  twenty-eight,  twenty-five,  twenty-five,  twenty- 
four  and  twenty-one  years  respectively.  Now  it  is 
over  forty  years  since  I  began  as  partner,  and  it  is  natural 
to  assume  that  some  young  chap  may  be  ranking  me 
among  the  patriarchs,  and  with  more  reason,  apparently, 
if  dependence  were  put  entirely  on  years  of  service. 

I  think  that  one  of  the  most  noticeable  features  of  this 
sketch  which  you  will  notice  as  I  proceed  is  the  fact 
of  the  long  time  of  service  so  many  have  given  who  have 
connected  themselves  with  this  business.  There  are 
many  who  have  been  in  service  twenty-five  to  thirty- 
five  years,  and  quite  a  portion  of  the  members  of  the 
trade  have  served  from  forty  to  fifty  years,  and  are 
still  among  us.  There  are  several  who  have  been  con- 
nected with  the  business  between  fifty  and  sixty,  and 


12  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

one,  sixty-five  years  —  sixty-two  as  a  principal,  who 
are  still  alive  and  active,  and  some  of  those  who  have 
passed  on  were  sixty  years  and  over  in  the  business. 

The  men  connected  with  our  business  have  been,  as  a 
rule,  of  sterling  character  and  true  representatives  of  the 
best  commercial  interests  of  Boston,  and  it  seems  due 
to  them  that  their  names  and  memory  be  preserved 
even  in  this  manner,  and  not  consigned  to  oblivion. 

One  thing  that  was  an  important  factor,  especially  hi 
the  early  days,  was  this:  that  boys  began  their  service 
earlier  then  than  now,  and  were  ready  and  eager  to 
do  anything  required  of  them.  The  present  generation 
does  not  realize  what  the  duties  of  office  and  errand 
boys  were  thirty  to  fifty  years  ago.  A  very  important 
part  then  was  that  they  should  travel  the  length  of 
the  various  wharves  of  Boston  to  find  the  whereabouts 
of  sailing  vessels  or  schooners  and  when  they  were  to 
sail,  because  a  large  portion  of  the  goods  sent  from 
Boston  at  that  tune  was  by  sailing  vessels  rather  than 
railroad  or  steamship  lines,  which  were  not  nearly  so 
well  developed  then  as  now.  I  well  remember  the  Lovell 
Line  of  packets  between  Boston  and  New  York,  with 
regular  sailings  from  the  old  Eastern  Packet  Pier. 

A  few  minutes  thought  will  also  show  the  difference  in 
the  accommodations  for  all  kinds  of  help,  including  the 
proprietors  in  those  days,  and  especially  before  the 
War,  with  what  are  prevailing  now.  The  old  offices 
and  stores  were  very  crude,  and  most  of  them  were 
without  even  ordinary  accommodations  hi  the  way  of 
heating,  ventilation,  toilet  arrangements,  etc. 

History  does  not  seem  to  tell  us  what  the  good  people 
of  Boston  and  New  England  did  for  want  of  handy  places 


PAINT,  OIL,  VAENISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       13 

to  obtain  paints,  oils,  and  varnishes  prior  to  1800.  About 
all  of  the  goods  were  imported,  and  probably  were  sold 
by  druggists,  ship  chandlers  and  painters.  The  demand 
was  undoubtedly  small,  as  many  houses,  especially  in 
the  country,  were  not  painted  outside,  and  Dame  Nature 
furnished  the  staining  instead  of  Cabot  or  Dexter. 


One  of  the  earliest  paint  and  drug  dealers  of  whom 
we  have  knowledge  was  George  Brinley,  who  began 
business  in  1806  and  was  located  at  3  South  Side,  Faneuil 
Hall  —  between  Change  Alley  and  Merchants  Row  — 
perhaps  next  store  easterly  from  where  Cobb,  Bates 
&  Yerxa's  store  now  is.  In  1822  William  C.  Stimpson 
was  junior  partner  in  George  Brinley  &  Co.,  and  in 
1831  it  was  William  C.  Stimpson  &  Co.,  Edward  Brinley 
taking  his  father's  interest.  Eight  years  later,  Edward 
Brinley  took  the  business  and  carried  it  on  alone  until 
1845,  when  W.  R.  Horton  was  admitted,  as  Edward 
Brinley  &  Co.  In  1850  Mr.  Brinley  was  alone,  and  the 
next  year,  the  business  was  taken  over  by  Thayer,  Hovey 
&  Homer.  During  the  succeeding  three  years  it  was 
Thayer,  Hovey  &  Co.  The  business  was  done  by  Thayer, 
Babson  &  Co.  (Mr.  James  Babson  having  been  a  brother 
of  William  Babson,  junior  partner  in  1851  to  1857  of 
Porter,  Loring  &  Co.,  11  India  Street)  during  1857^ 
1858  and  1859.  All  of  this  time,  about  fifty  years,  the 
original  firm  and  successors  had  been  at  the  original 
store,  near  Faneuil  Hall  Square.  In  1860  Thayer, 
Babson  &  Co.  moved  to  41  and  43  Kilby  Street,  where 
they  were  twelve  years,  and  later  were  two  years  at 
208  State  Street,  and  several  years  at  167  Milk  Street, 


14  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

with  Frank  B.  Thayer  as  proprietor  certainly  as  late 
as  1887,  Mr.  Babson  having  died  August  19,  1883. 

In  1831  Trott  &  Whitney  began  the  drug  and  paint 
business  at  128  State  Street,  and  they  were  succeeded 
in  the  same  store  by  H.  B.  Trott  &  Co.  in  1832,  and  by 
Charles  E.  Trott  and  Henry  M.  Aborn,  as  Trott  &  Co., 
hi  1833.  In  1836  it  was  Trott  &  Bigelow,  and  in  1839 
Bigelow  &  Elliot,  followed  by  Bigelow  &  Geenwood 
in  1841.  In  1844  the  same  firm  moved  to  11  India 
Street,  where  they  advertised  paints  and  dyestuffs. 
In  1847  it  was  Josiah  Bigelow  &  Co.,  the  junior  partner 
being  Thomas  C.  Porter,  who  became  senior  partner 
of  Porter,  Loring  &  Co.,  drugs  and  paints,  and  the  same 
firm  was  at  same  place,  11  India  Street,  hi  1855.  Mr. 
William  Babson  was  junior  partner  of  this  firm  from 
1850  to  about  1857,  and  hi  1858  and  for  twenty  years 
after  he  was  a  commission  merchant  at  39  Lewis  Wharf 
and  was  wharfinger  and  manager  of  that  wharf  the  last 
years  of  his  life. 

In  1816  Thomas  Bartlett  was  a  druggist  at  13  Cornhill. 
Two  years  later  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Bartlett 
&  Chase,  and  later,  Bartlett  &  Brewer.  Later  it  was 
S.  N.  Brewer  &  Bros.,  at  92  Washington  Street,  and  in 
1828  Brewers,  Stevens  &  Gushing,  at  the  same  location, 
and  they  did  a  very  large  business  for  many  years. 

Maynard  &  Noyes  were  druggists  as  early  as  1816 
and  were  at  39  Washington  Street  hi  1825,  and  did 
extensive  business.  They  later  manufactured  printing 
inks,  which  were  known  all  over  the  country.  I  well 
remember  them,  before  the  big  fire,  as  located  at  75 
and  77  Water  Street,  a  few  doors  above  my  father's 
store.  I  think  that  the  business  was  purchased  by  other 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       15 

interests,  as  they  have  not  been  an  active  force  for  some 
time. 

In  an  architect's  sketch  made  in  1816,  of  the  Commercial 
Coffee  House,  to  be  erected  (where  the  present  Exchange 
Club  House  now  stands)  on  Batterymarch  Street,  corner 
of  Milk  Street,  which  now  hangs  on  the  walls  of  the 
latter  building,  there  shows  the  rear,  or  Crab  Alley  end, 
of  a  substantial  building  on  Batterymarch  Street,  in 
Liberty  Square,  at  the  corner  of  what  is  now  Water 
Street  —  then  a  lane  —  running  to  Broad  Street,  where 
the  Commercial  National  Bank  now  is.  On  this  rear 
end  there  is  a  sign  "Paints  and  Dye  Stuffs, "  and  naturally 
we  would  think  was  located  there  a  jobber  of  drugs, 
dyes  and  paints.  Although  diligent  search  has  been 
made  in  old  directories  and  at  Bostonian  Society,  I 
have  been  as  yet  unable  to  learn  with  absolute  certainty 
what  firm  occupied  that  store. 

After  examining  the  Assessors  Books  of  that  year,  I 
am  inclined  to  believe  that  the  business  was  that  of  Paul 
Spear,  Jr.,  assessed  on  merchandise  for  seven  thousand 
dollars,  as  a  druggist,  on  Batterymarch  Street,  which  in 
Ward  8,  runs  only  from  Milk  Street  to  what  is  now 
Water  Street,  and  furthermore,  he  is  in  the  directory  in 
1816  as  an  apothecary  in  Liberty  Square.  He  began 
business  in  1813,  apparently,  and  was  succeeded  by  Daniel 
Spear  about  1818,  and  so  far  as  I  can  see,  did  not  again 
appear  in  business  and  probably  removed  from  Boston,  as 
his  estate  was  never  administered  upon  in  Suffolk  County. 

Incidentally,  it  might  be  mentioned  here,  that  prior 
to  1800,  what  is  now  Liberty  Square  was  practically 
a  bog  and  was  not  laid  out  as  a  square  (?)  until  about 
1803,  and  was  named  in  appreciation  of  the  newly  found 


16  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

liberties  of  the  French  people  just  emerging  from  the 
terrible  Revolution.  Water  Street  was  so  called  because 
it  originally  ran  from  what  is  now  Washington  Street 
to  the  water  or  low  lands,  in  present  Postoffice  Square. 
Broad  Street  was  built  about  1806  and  was  then  the  best 
and  widest  business  street  —  (and  there  are  not  many 
better  ones  hi  Boston  now  after  these  hundred  years), 
and  Water  Street  was  later  extended  to  Broad  Street 
through  widening  of  a  lane  that  ran  easterly  from  Liberty 
Square. 

In  1822  Tilly  Brigham  and  William  H.  Delano  started 
in  the  drug  and  paint  business  at  30  Union  Street,  as 
Brigham  &  Delano.  Mr.  Brigham  withdrew  in  1825 
and  engaged  in  same  business  at  8  Ann  Street,  now  North 
Street,  where  he  continued  alone  until  1831,  when  it 
was  Tilly  and  Thomas  B.  Brigham.  From  1834  to 
1838,  Tilly  Brigham  was  alone  and  does  not  seem  to  have 
been  in  business  after  that  time. 

Mr.  Delano  in  1825  admitted  William  H.  Whitney 
as  partner,  the  style  being  Delano  &  Whitney  —  they 
continuing  to  sell  paints,  as  well  as  drugs,  at  30  Union 
Street.  They  removed  the  next  year,  1826,  to  19  and 
20  South  Market  Street,  and  the  old  store,  30  Union 
Street,  was  immediately  taken  by  Gregg  &  Hollis,  com- 
posed of  Daniel  Gregg  and  Thomas  Hollis.  Delano 
&  Whitney  were  at  19  and  20  South  Market  Street 
from  1826  to  1835,  when  they  moved  to  56  Chatham 
Street.  In  1849,  it  was  William  F.  Whitney  alone, 
Mr.  Delano  having  retired,  and  from  1850  to  1856,  it 
was  W.  F.  Whitney  &  Son,  D.  R.  Whitney  having  become 
a  partner  and  John  Tuckerman  also  having  an  interest. 
The  style  was  D.  R.  Whitney  &  Co.  in  1856,  and  con- 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       17 

tinued  under  same  name  until  retirement  of  Mr.  Whitney 
in  1877  or  1878,  when  he  took  the  position  of  President 
of  the  Suffolk  National  Bank  and  later  was  active  in 
the  management  of  the  New  England  Trust  Co.  He  is 
still  living  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years.  The 
name  of  Whitney  was  thus  associated  with  paints,  drugs 
and  dyestuffs  for  over  fifty  years.  They  removed  in  1862 
to  110  State  Street,  from  56  Chatham  Street,  having 
been  there  twenty-seven  years,  and  from  1870  to  retiring 
from  business  were  at  110  Milk  Street. 

Gregg  &  Hollis  and  Thomas  Hollis  (who  took  the  busi- 
ness in  1835)  were  at  30  Union  Street  from  1826  to  1852, 
when  Mr.  Hollis  moved  across  the  street  to  23  Union 
Street,  where  he  and  successors,  Thomas  &  T.  F.  Hollis 
and  Thomas  Hollis  &  Co.,  and  Thomas  Hollis  Company, 
have  continued  up  to  the  present  time,  so  that  for  ninety- 
two  years  the  sale  of  drugs  (with  paints  in  early  years) 
has  continued  in  these  two  stores  on  Union  Street  —  thirty 
years  at  30  and  sixty-two  years  at  23. 

Joseph  L.  Moffat  as  early  as  1826  was  a  druggist  at 
68  Chambers  Street,  and  I  think  he  was  also  associated 
with  a  Mr.  Plummer  as  Moffat  &  Plummer,  who  sold 
drugs  and  paints  on  State  Street,  nearly  opposite  Broad 
Street. 

Daniel  Hastings  and  James  Marsh  sold  paints,  drugs, 
and  dyestuffs,  as  Hastings  &  Marsh,  at  27  State  Street, 
and  in  1828  they  were  at  28  South  Market  Street,  being 
the  first  occupants,  so  far  as  I  have  learned,  of  that 
store  in  this  business  —  now  occupied  by  the  New  Eng- 
land branch  of  the  Fox  River  Butter  Co.  E.  W.  Marsh 
joined  the  firm  in  1830,  the  style  being  Hastings,  Marsh 
&  Co.,  continuing  six  or  seven  years  It  was  James  & 


18  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

E.  W.  Marsh  in  1837  and  they  evidently  discontinued 
the  business  in  1838,  as  the  store  was  taken  that  year 
by  A.  S.  &  W.  G.  Lewis. 

Abiel  S.  Lewis  and  John  Whitney  formed  the  firm 
of  A.  S.  Lewis  &  Co.  in  1836  at  118  State  Street.  In 
1838,  it  was  A.  S.  &  W.  G.  Lewis,  and  they  removed 
that  year  to  27  and  28  South  Market  Street,  succeeding 
James  and  E.  W.  Marsh,  where  subsequently  several 
different  firms  located  —  and  which  had  been  a  drug 
and  paint  store  since  1828  and  very  likely  before.  The 
rear  doors  were  very  close  to  several  other  concerns 
on  Chatham  Street  engaged  in  the  same  line.  W.  G. 
Lewis  had  been  a  clerk  in  paint  and  drug  store  of  Oliver 
Fletcher,  2  India  Street.  I  should  say  that  A.  S.  &  W. 
G.  Lewis  stayed  at  27  and  28  South  Market  Street 
until  1846,  when  perhaps  they  sold  out  to  Nelson  &  Brad- 
ford, composed  of  Henry  W.  Nelson  and  G.  L.  Bradford. 
They  continued  two  years  and  the  next  year,  1849,  it 
was  Nelson,  Button  &  Co.,  composed  of  Henry  W.  Nelson, 
Silas  Button,  G.  L.  Bradford  and  R.  B.  Eaton,  who 
later  was  a  partner  with  Mr.  Candler.  The  next  year. 
Josiah  Hovey,  G.  H.  Hill  and  John  W.  Candler 
made  up  the  firm  of  Hovey,  Hill  &  Candler,  and  probably 
succeeded  the  other  firm,  being  located  at  the  same 
place.  Josiah  Hovey  later,  hi  1851,  was  of  Thayer, 
Hovey  &  Homer,  hi  Faneuil  Hall  Square.  In  1850 
and  1851,  it  was  Hill,  Candler  &  Co.,  the  junior  partner 
being  W.  C.  Hunneman,  Jr.  The  next  year,  1852, 
and  for  several  years  thereafter,  it  was  Eaton,  Hill  & 
Candler,  and  early  in  1853,  they  moved  from  28  South 
Market  Street  to  63  Kilby  Street,  the  old  store  being 
taken  by  J.  B.  &  C.  E.  Folsom,  who  remained  until 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       19 

1857,  so  that  for  thirty  years,  at  least,  this  was  a  paint 
and  drug  store.  Mr.  Candler  was,  during  the  War,  of 
John  W.  Candler  &  Bro.  and  Cobb,  Candler  &  Co., 
and  about  1868,  of  Foster,  Candler  &  Co.,  of  225  State 
Street.  He  was  Representative  to  Congress  for  several 
years.  Mr.  W.  C.  Hunneman,  Jr.,  was  of  Hunneman, 
Hazen  &  Co.,  54  Kilby  Street,  in  1854-5.  In  1855  Mr. 
Hunneman  was  alone  and  moved  to  44  India  Street 
and  in  1858  he  sold  out  to  Charles  Richardson  &  Co. 
Later,  he  went  into  the  manufacture  of  varnish,  offices 
at  39  and  41  India  Street,  and  in  1865  was  at  65  Com- 
mercial Street. 

In  1833-4-5,  Morris  &  Dix  were  in  the  paint,  oil  and 
glass  business  exclusively,  at  112  State  Street.  The 
next  year,  Mr.  Apollos  Morris  was  alone,  but  in  1837, 
he  joined  with  W.  G.  Ladd  in  the  firm  of  Morris  &  Ladd, 
but  it  lasted  only  one  year,  and  he  was  again  alone 
from  1838  to  1842,  when  he  moved  to  11  Union  Street, 
and  again  moved  in  1846  to  28  Exchange  Street,  where 
he  remained  two  or  three  years,  and  then  probably 
retired.  It  was  in  this  same  store  where  Francis  Mc- 
Laughlin  began  the  sale  of  brushes  a  short  tune  after 
Mr.  Morris  discontinued. 

David  Henshaw  was  a  wholesale  druggist  and  paint 
dealer  at  80  State  Street,  in  1816,  and  in  1818,  with  David 
Rice,  formed  the  firm  of  Rice  &  Henshaw  at  27  or  28 
India  Street.  In  1821,  it  was  Rice,  Henshaw  &  Co. — 
John  Henshaw  joining  the  firm,  and  they  kept  together 
under  the  same  name  for  several  years.  In  1827  and  1828, 
it  was  David  &  John  Henshaw  &  Co.,  (Charles  Henshaw 
being  the  junior  partner)  at  33  India  Street.  In  1829, 
David  Henshaw  retired  and  Charles  and  John  continued 


20  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

for  several  years  as  Henshaw  &  Co.,  at  the  same  place, 
and  David  was  appointed  Collector  of  Port  of  Boston, 
for  four  years  beginning  about  1830.  In  1839  and  for 
six  or  eight  years  thereafter,  Henshaw,  Ward  &  Co. 
were  at  36  India  Street,  and  did  a  very  large  business. 
The  firm  was  then  composed  of  John  Henshaw,  and 
William,  J.  W.,  and  J.  T.  Ward.  William  Ward  had 
been  hi  the  drug  business  for  himself  at  26  or  27  India 
Street,  corner  of  Milk  Street,  in  1835,  and  the  next  year 
it  was  William  Ward  &  Co.,  with  Jos.  W.  Ward  as 
junior.  In  1850,  it  was  Henshaw,  Edmunds  &  Co., 
composed  of  John  and  J.  Andrew  Henshaw,  and  Benjamin 
F.  and  J.  L.  Edmunds,  who  continued  the  old  Henshaw 
business  at  36  India  Street,  and  the  following  year 
Benjamin  F.  Edmunds  and  J.  Andrew  Henshaw  were 
alone  at  the  same  place.  The  next  three  years  it  was 
Henshaw,  Edmunds  &  Co.,  George  S.  Shaw  being  the 
junior  partner,  still  at  the  same  place.  The  following 
year  it  was  Henshaw,  Edmunds  &  Shaw,  and  in  1857 
and  1858  it  was  Henshaw  &  Co.,  composed  of  John  and 
J.  Andrew  Henshaw,  still  at  36  India  Street.  When 
John  Henshaw  retired  from  Henshaw  &  Co.,  Charles 
continued  alone  and  in  1842  was  at  4  Central  Wharf. 
In  1842  Charles  C.  Henshaw  was  alone  in  drugs  and 
paints  at  110  State  Street  —  the  next  year  it  being 
Henshaw  &  Whitney.  In  1844,  Charles  C.  was  again 
alone  and  the  following  year  went  into  partnership 
at  51  Chatham  Street,  with  John  N.  Randall,  as  Henshaw 
&  Randall  —  elsewhere  referred  to. 

In  1852,  Henry  P.  Henshaw  and  William  G.  Prescott, 
who  was  son  of  William  H.  Prescott,  the  historian,  com- 
posed the  firm  of  Henshaw  &  Prescott,  at  the  familiar 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       21 

place  of  1  India  Street,  corner  of  State  Street,  and  they 
continued  there  for  two  or  three  years.  That  same 
year,  1852,  saw  Charles  Henshaw  a  refiner  of  spirits 
turpentine  at  3  Long  Wharf,  while  Charles  C.  Henshaw 
(who  had  been  a  partner  of  John  N.  Randall  in  1845) 
was  a  refiner  of  saltpetre,  I  think,  at  36  India  Street. 
At  the  same  location  in  1855,  Charles  and  Charles  C. 
Henshaw  &  Co.  had  an  office  as  turpentine  manufacturers 
and  saltpetre  refiners,  the  junior  partner  being  Mr. 
George  Henshaw,  who  later  was  of  the  firm  of  Henshaw, 
Brigham  &  Co.,  and  also  Henshaw,  Burt  &  Tarr,  for 
many  years  at  154  State  Street  —  the  firm  name  later 
being  Burt  &  Henshaw  until  their  retirement  from 
business. 

In  1858,  Mr.  George  Henshaw  was  a  clerk  at  154  State 
Street,  with  the  firm  of  Whittier  &  Henshaw,  who  were 
dealers  in  paints  and  glass,  the  firm  being  composed  of 
Joseph  M.  Whittier  (formerly  of  Whittier  &  Sweetser 
and  later  of  WTiittier,  Dunbar  &  Co.)  and  Charles  C. 
Henshaw.  Mr.  Whittier  was  afterwards  a  grinder  of 
paints,  but  shortly  after  1858,  retired  from  business. 

In  1844,  Benjamin  F.  Brown,  James  Beal,  and  Royal 
Whiton,  Jr.,  were  at  16  Canal  Street,  and  in  1845-6-7 
Benjamin  F.  Brown,  W.  J.  Chapin,  and  Royal  Whiton, 
Jr.,  were  doing  business  at  the  same  place  as  Brown, 
Chapin  &  Whiton.  In  1848-56,  Chapin  &  Whiton  con- 
tinued, and  for  the  next  three  years,  it  was  Whiton  & 
Bartlett,  and  1860-63  it  was  Whiton,  Bartlett  &  Co., 
all  the  time  at  16  Commercial  Street.  R.  Whiton,  Jr., 
was  alone  in  1863,  at  42  Commercial  Street,  and  subse- 
quently for  several  years,  at  86  Commercial  Street. 

In  1848,  Benjamin  F.  Brown,  when  he  left  the  old  firm, 


22  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

united  with  A.  D.  Lamson  as  Brown  &  Lamson,  at  44 
India  Street,  and  in  1853  and  1854,  as  Brown,  Lamson 
&  Co.,  at  49  India  Street,  and  in  1855  it  was  Brown 
&  Knapp  at  the  same  place. 

The  name  of  Carruth  has  been  and  always  honorably, 
connected  with  oils  and  paints  since  1826,  when  Francis 
S.  Carruth  formed  a  partnership  with  Oliver  Fletcher 
as  Fletcher  &  Carruth,  at  4  Long  Wharf,  which  was  for 
many  years  occupied  as  a  paint  store.  He  was  one  of 
a  large  family  of  brothers,  three  of  whom  later  entered 
the  business.  From  1831  to  1838,  inclusive,  it  was 
Francis  S.  and  Nathan  Carruth,  and  the  following  year, 
Francis  retired  to  begin  as  a  commission  merchant  at 
Custom  House  Street,  corner  of  Broad  Street,  from 
1853  (and  probably  later).  Reference  elsewhere  will  be 
made  to  his  connection  with  the  old  Boston  Lead  Co., 
and  Joseph  H.  Chadwick.  His  place  was  taken  by  his 
brother,  Charles,  the  style  being  N.  &  C.  Carruth.  In 
1842,  Joseph  M.  Whittier  was  admitted  and  the  firm 
continued  as  N.  &  C.  Carruth  &  Co.  In  1846,  it  was 
Carruth  &  Whittier,  continuing  until  1851,  when  Isaac 
Sweetser  became  a  partner,  the  name  being  Carruth, 
Whittier  &  Sweetser.  In  1855,  Messrs.  Carruth  and 
Sweetser  withdrew  from  the  firm  and  formed  the  new 
concern  of  Carruth  &  Sweetser,  removing  to  25  Broad 
Street,  where  Francis  S.  Carruth  had  an  office  for  many 
years. 

About  1869  they  removed  to  114  State  Street,  where 
was  located  also  the  office  of  the  Chelsea  Oil  Co.,  which 
they  owned.  In  1875  it  was  again  N.  &  C.  Carruth  & 
Co.,  the  partners  then  being  Charles  Carruth,  H.  Wilson, 
Jr.,  and  Charles  T.  Carruth  (son  of  Charles),  who  later 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       23 

became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Randall  &  Carruth, 
and  in  1882  of  J.  A.  &  W.  Bird  &  Co.,  remaining  there 
until  1912.  It  will  be  noticed,  therefore,  that  for  eighty- 
six  consecutive  years,  this  name  of  Carruth  was  con- 
nected with  this  business  and  if  we  take  into  account 
the  firm  of  Nathan  F.  Carruth  &  Co.,  formerly  well 
known  as  manufacturers  of  bright  varnish  and  now 
manufacturers  of  rosin,  oils,  and  greases,  in  East  Everett, 
the  record  is  eighty-eight  years.  The  latter  concern  was 
originated  by  Nathan  F.  Carruth  (a  son  of  Thomas  H. 
Carruth,  linseed  oil  manufacturer,  and  elsewhere  referred 
to),  who  died  in  1903.  His  son,  Thomas  H.  Carruth, 
now  carries  on  the  business. 

Mr.  Herbert  S.  Carruth  (son  of  N.  Carruth)  was 
connected  with  N.  &  C.  Carruth  &  Co.  for  several  years 
and  was  a  partner  in  the  concern  from  1876  until  the  dis- 
continuance of  the  business,  some  two  or  three  years  later, 
when  he  was  connected  with  the  Dorchester  Gas  Co., 
and  for  several  years  was  a  member  of  the  book  selling 
firm  of  W.  B.  Clarke  &  Carruth.  Mr.  Carruth  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Boston  Board  of  Aldermen  as  a  citizens' 
candidate  in  December,  1889,  and  was  re-elected  the 
next  year  by  a  large  majority,  and  during  that  year  he 
was  Chairman  of  the  Board  and  Acting  Mayor  on  several 
occasions.  He  was  prominent  in  other  matters  pertaining 
to  the  City,  and  was,  I  think,  the  first  executive  officer 
of  the  Metropolitan  Park  Commission,  which  laid  out 
the  great  reservations  of  Boston,  and  he  was  also  one 
of  the  Penal  Commissioners  of  the  County  of  Suffolk 
for  several  years,  after  1902.  Mr.  Carruth  not  long 
ago,  moved  to  Amherst,  Mass.,  where  he  is  living  at  the 
present  time. 


24  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

In  1831,  when  F.  S.  Carruth  left  Fletcher  &  Carruth, 
Oliver  Fletcher  continued  alone  at  2  India  Street  for 
nine  years,  and  in  1849  Charles  H.  Appleton  was  ad- 
mitted as  partner  under  the  name  of  Fletcher  &  Appleton, 
where  they  sold  paints  and  drugs,  remaining  together 
at  the  same  place  certainly  for  five  years,  and  I  am  unable 
to  state,  at  the  present  time,  what  became  of  the  business 
afterwards. 

Eleazer  F.  Pratt,  George  B.  Rogers  and  John  L. 
Hunnewell  did  not,  in  1834,  realize  that  they  were  in  a 
small  degree  to  make  their  names  somewhat  famous  as 
being  among  the  first  to  embark  regularly  in  the  sale  of 
drugs,  paints,  and  oils  in  Boston,  and  to  be  at  the  same 
time  the  founders  of  large  and  uniformly  successful 
firms  —  still  among  us.  Mr.  Pratt  had  been  keeping 
a  small  drug  store  in  1833  with  a  man  named  Wilkinson, 
under  the  name  of  Wilkinson  &  Pratt,  on  Salem  Street, 
corner  of  Sheaf e  Street,  and  in  1834  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Edward  King,  under  the  name  of  Pratt  & 
King,  and  located  at  26  India  Street,  corner  of  Milk  Street, 
for  the  jobbing  of  drugs  and  paints.  Mr.  Pratt  left  the 
concern  hi  1839,  establishing  himself  in  1840  at  107 
State  Street,  where  he  will  be  referred  to  elsewhere. 

Mr.  King  then  associated  his  brother  Franklin  with 
himself,  and  in  1839  organized  the  firm  of  E.  &  F.  King, 
which  concern  remained  in  the  same  location  until  June, 
1912,  when  they  moved  to  357  Atlantic  Avenue,  where 
they  are  at  present.  The  appropriate  name  of  King, 
therefore,  is  associated  with  one  of  the  earliest  drug, 
paint,  oil  and  varnish  dealers  in  New  England,  and  for 
seventy-nine  years  they  occupied  the  same  store  —  a 
record  in  itself.  (We  have  had,  by  the  way,  two  Princes 


*FRANKLIN  KING 
WILLIAM  AGGE 


DANIEL  G.  TYLER 


SAMUEL  G.  KING 


WILLIAM  E.  BOWDEN 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES         25 

in  our  trade  and  we  have  with  us  today  a  real  live  Lord 
—  but  he's  a  Yankee  —  not  an  English  one).  In  1846, 
Mr.  George  S.  Dexter — who  had  begun  in  1837  with  Pratt 
&  King,  as  a  boy  thirteen  years  old  —  and  Mr.  Fred 
Beck  were  admitted  as  partners,  as  E.  &  F.  King  &  Co. 
Mr.  Beck  withdrew  in  1847  (to  go  in  partnership  with 
John  Briggs  and  Lewis  Wheeler,  Jr.)  the  firm  name 
being  changed  to  King  &  Dexter  —  Mr.  Edward  King 
retiring.  In  1852  it  became  King,  Dexter  &  Co.,  when 
Charles  W.  Dexter  was  admitted  to  a  share  in  the  business. 
In  1855  Joseph  W.  Colburn  was  admitted,  continuing 
until  his  death,  April  30,  1883.  The  firm  name  was 
kept  as  King,  Dexter  &  Co.  until  1859,  when  the  Messrs. 
Dexter  retired  from  the  firm,  and  Mr.  Edward  King  was 
re-admitted,  the  style  being  changed  to  E.  &  F.  King 
&  Co.  In  1865,  Mr.  Edward  King  permanently  retired 
from  the  firm.  In  1871,  William  M.  Bates,  Daniel  G. 
Tyler  (who  came  as  clerk  about  1863)  William  Agge, 
and  George  E.  King  (son  of  Edward  King,  and  who 
had  married  a  daughter  of  Charles  E.  Folsom)  were 
admitted  as  partners.  Mr.  George  E.  King  retired  hi 
a  few  years  and  has  since  lived  in  Bethel,  Maine,  but 
makes  frequent  trips  to  Boston. 

Mr.  William  M.  Bates  died  June  24,  1904.  Mr.  Tyler 
is  relaxing  somewhat  his  activities  in  the  business  after 
more  than  fifty  exacting,  aggressive  and  successful  years, 
and  now  devotes  considerable  tune  to  golf  and  other 
outside  matters  —  being  President  of  the  Cambridge 
Gas  Light  Co.,  but  he  has  lived  for  many  years  in 
Lexington. 

Mr.  Samuel  G.  King,  son  of  Franklin  King,  connected 
himself  with  the  firm  in  1875  and  became  a  partner  in 


26 


1880,  and  he  has  proved  himself  a  worthy  son  of  a  worthy 
father.  Mr.  Franklin  King  was  a  man  of  rugged  and 
determined  personality  and  deservedly  high  reputation. 
He  was  a  large  real  estate  owner  in  Dorchester  and  did 
much  to  improve  the  town.  He  died  August  29,  1898, 
in  his  ninetieth  year,  leaving  "  large  possessions."  Mr. 
William  Agge,  who  began  with  the  King  concern  as  clerk 
in  the  early  sixties,  retired  from  the  firm  upon  its  incor- 
poration, December  12,  1904.  He  is  now  living  in  digni- 
fied ease  at  his  home  in  Salem  and  country  home  in 
Topsfield,  where  I  also  have  had  a  summer  home  for 
nearly  twenty  years.  He  spends  a  part  of  each  winter 
at  the  Belle vue  in  Boston. 

The  present  officers  of  E.  &  F.  King  &  Co.,  Incorporated, 
are  Daniel  G.  Tyler,  President;  Samuel  G.  King,  Treas- 
urer; Stephen  L.  Whipple  (who  came  as  clerk  in  1865), 
Assistant  Treasurer;  and  Henry  E.  Foster  (who  began  in 
1866)  Secretary.  William  E.  Bowden  (who  is  a  Director 
of  the  Paint  and  Oil  Club  this  year),  is  Sales  Manager, 
having  been  a  clerk  in  1886,  and  was  one  of  the  incor- 
porators  in  1904.  Their  business,  particularly  in  dye- 
stuffs  and  chemicals,  has  always  been  a  large  one,  especially 
with  manufacturers,  and  it  has  been  uniformly  successful. 

In  1840  Eleazer  F.  Pratt  before  referred  to  (as  of  Pratt 
&  King  in  1834),  started  again  in  the  business  of  drugs 
and  paints  at  107  State  Street,  and  George  B.  Rogers 
also  referred  to  before  (as  of  Rogers  &  Co.  in  1834  —  John 
L.  Hunnewell  being  the  junior  partner),  and  who  was 
then  located  at  5  Broad  Street,  was  admitted  a  partner 
in  1843,  and  the  firm  then  became  Pratt  &  Rogers.  In 
1846  George  W.  Banker  was  admitted  a  partner,  under 


*MAJOR  GEORGE  O.  CARPENTER  *JOHN  D.  MORTON 

FREDERICK  H.  NEWTON 
GEORGE  C.  MORTON  JOHN  W.  CAMPBELL 


PAINT,  OIL.  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES        27 

the  name  of  Pratt,  Rogers  &  Co.  Mr.  Rogers  retired 
from  the  firm  in  1849,  located  in  business  at  51  Chatham 
Street,  and  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Banker,  Crocker 
&  Co.,  Mathias  Crocker  and  George  0.  Carpenter  being 
the  new  partners. 

Major  Carpenter  was  probably  the  best  known  man 
in  the  trade  during  the  time  he  was  connected  with  it, 
especially  the  thirty  or  thirty-five  years  or  more  he  was 
active  in  it.  An  able,  very  genial,  and  approachable 
man,  he  was  always  ready  with  apt  or  witty  stories,  or 
good  practical  advice.  He  was  interested  in  public  and 
political  matters,  securing  one  year  the  Republican  nomi- 
nation for  Mayor  of  Boston.  He  made  a  good  run  but 
was  not  elected.  In  later  years  he  founded  the  successful 
insurance  agency  of  George  O.  Carpenter  &  Son,  but 
still  retained  his  interest  in  the  paint  business.  Mr. 
Carpenter  died  December  25,  1896,  on  his  sixty-ninth 
birthday. 

In  1850  John  N.  Barbour  was  admitted  as  partner, 
and  in  1852  Mr.  Crocker  and  Mr.  Barbour  retired,  the 
firm  name  being  changed  to  Banker  &  Carpenter.  In 
1864  E.  T.  Woodward,  John  D.  Morton,  and  Isaiah 
Woodbury,  were  admitted  as  partners.  In  1868  Messrs. 
Banker  and  Woodbury  retired  and  the  firm  name  was 
changed  to  Carpenter,  Woodward  &  Morton.  Mr. 
Frederick  H.  Newton  entered  the  employ  of  Banker  oe 
Carpenter  in  1864  or  1865,  and  became  a  partner  in 
1885,  and  thus  at  this  time  has  completed  forty-nine 
years  of  faithful  service.  Mr.  Edwin  A.  Rogers,  beginning 
in  1877  as  clerk,  was  admitted  as  partner  in  1888,  and 
was  a  Director,  on  the  incorporation,  but  retired  from 
the  company  in  1903,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  sale 


28  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

of  glues  and  shellacs  on  Summer  Street.  The  firm  was 
for  a  short  time,  in  1872,  at  77  Clinton  Street,  and  also 
99  Milk  Street,  and  a  longer  time  at  151  Milk  Street. 
Mr.  Woodward  died  February  18,  1884.  They  were 
incorporated  as  Carpenter-Morton  Co.  in  1892  and  have 
steadily  increased  their  business,  especially  in  well-known 
specialties  as  Campbell's  Varnish  Stains  and  Carmote, 
made  at  their  factory  hi  Everett. 

Mr.  John  D.  Morton  served  as  second  President  of 
the  Paint  and  Oil  Club  of  New  England,  and  was  also 
President  of  the  National  Paint,  Oil  and  Varnish  Asso- 
ciation in  1893-4.  Mr.  Morton  was  a  far-sighted  and 
agreeable  man  of  first  rate  character,  and  died  respected 
by  all,  hi  the  year  1903,  aged  seventy-three  years.  The 
present  officers  of  this  uniformly  successful  Corporation, 
which  is  located  at  77  Sudbury  Street,  where  they  have 
been  for  many  years,  are  James  B.  Lord,  President; 
Frederick  H.  Newton,  Vice-President;  George  C.  Morton 
(son  of  John  D.  Morton),  Treasurer;  M.  Elton  Vose, 
Secretary.  John  W.  Campbell  is  Director;  A.  I. 
McLauthlin  is  Store  Manager,  and  William  E.  Gilmour, 
Credit  Manager — the  three  latter  having  been  connected 
with  the  concern  from  twenty-nine  to  thirty-two  years. 
Mr.  Frederick  Banker  Carpenter  was  a  Director  until 
his  death. 

Mr.  George  C.  Morton  began  his  first  service  for  the 
old  firm  in  1886,  and  worthily  succeeds  his  father,  and 
like  him,  is  always  ready  to  aid  in  outside  movements 
intended  for  the  general  good.  He  has  been  President  of 
the  Credit  Men's  Association,  and  is  doing  excellent 
service  as  Chairman  of  the  New  England  Clean  Up 
and  Paint  Up  campaign  committee,  and  was  President 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES        29 

of  the  Paint  and  Oil  Club  of  New  England  when  the 
National  Association  met  in  Boston,  in  1908. 

In  the  same  year,  1834,  that  Pratt  &  King  formed 
their  partnership,  George  B.  Rogers  and  John  L.  Hunne- 
well  began  business  as  drug  and  paint  dealers  under 
the  name  of  Rogers  &   Company,   at   79  Commercial 
Street.    Nine  years  later,  in  1843,  Mr.  Pratt  and  Mr. 
Rogers  were  together  at  107  State  Street,  as  Pratt  & 
Rogers,  Mr.  Pratt  having  begun  alone  in  1840  at  that 
place,  soon  after  leaving  Mr.  King.    Mr.  Rogers  and 
Mr.  Hunnewell  had  G.  A.  Devens  as  a  partner  in  1835 
and  for  five  following  years,  as  Rogers,  Devens  &  Co., 
moving  to   5   Commercial   Street,   and  in   1840,    1841, 
and  1842,  Mr.  Rogers  was  alone  at  5  Broad  Street.    In 
1846  it  was  Pratt,  Rogers  &  Co.,  and  in  1849,  for  about 
five  years,  Mr.  Rogers  was  alone  at  50  and  51  Chatham 
Street.   In  1855  and  1856  Mr.  Rogers  and  David  Randall 
were  together  as  George  B.  Rogers  &  Co.,  at  24  India 
Street,  Mr.  Randall  having  been  a  clerk  there  in  1853-4. 
In  1869  Mr.  Rogers  was  in  business  at  19  Doane  Street 
as  Rogers,  Crocker  &  Co.,  and  he  died,  I  think,  about 
1875. 

It  is  probably  true  that  in  1839,  Mr.  John  L.  Hunnewell, 
referred  to  above,  went  with  his  father,  Joseph  Hunnewell, 
who  had  begun  business  at  6  Commercial  Wharf  in  1837, 
and  the  son  was  with  him  off  and  on  for  several  years, 
and  his  brother,  Joseph  W.  Hunnewell,  was  also  with 
his  father.  In  1846,  the  style  seems  to  have  been  John 
L.  Hunnewell  &  Co.,  his  brother,  Joseph  W.,  being  prac- 
tically in  the  same  business,  and  so  far  as  I  can  learn, 
at  the  same  place,  and  in  1847  was  junior  partner.  At 
a  later  date,  certainly  by  1853,  the  name  was  changed 


30  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

to  Joseph  W.  Hunnewell  &  Co.,  the  partner  of  Mr. 
Hunnewell  at  that  time  being  E.  Crafts.  Mr.  F.  M. 
Creamer  was  also  a  partner  later,  from  1861,  and  perhaps 
some  tune  before.  In  1864  Mr.  Crafts  withdrew  and 
formed  the  firm  of  Crafts  &  Williams,  at  5-6  Commer- 
cial Wharf,  and  later  it  was  Crafts  &  Co.,  at  the  same 
place,  where  they  were  in  business  for  many  years. 
Later,  they  removed  to  148  Commercial  Street,  where 
they  were  hi  1892,  and  were  later  bought  out  by  J.  W. 
Hunnewell  &  Co.,  who  removed  to  the  Crafts'  store, 
148  Commercial  Street,  from  76  Commercial  Street, 
where  they  had  been  for  many  years.  On  the  death 
of  Mr.  Creamer,  before  1870,  Mr.  George  C.  Goodhue, 
who  had  been  with  Mr.  Hunnewell  for  several  years, 
was  admitted  partner,  and  about  1872  or  1873,  on  the 
retirement  of  Mr.  Hunnewell,  Robert  D.  Archer,  who 
had  been  hi  the  employ  of  the  firm  since  about  1863, 
became  a  partner.  They  conducted  the  business  at 
76  and  later  at  148  Commercial  Street,  as  a  partnership 
and  later  as  a  corporation,  and  were  large  packers  and 
exporters  of  petroleum  and  spirits  turpentine.  Mr. 
Goodhue  was  President,  and  Mr.  Archer,  Treasurer, 
and  the  concern  is  now  at  168  Milk  Street,  formerly 
Central  Wharf.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Goodhue  in  1902, 
Mr.  Charles  E.  Chapman  took  an  interest  in  the  Cor- 
poration and  became  its  Secretary,  Mr.  Archer  holding 
office  of  both  President  and  Treasurer.  On  account 
of  poor  health,  Mr.  Chapman  retired  in  1912  and  is  now 
living  in  Peterboro,  N.  H.,  and  I  am  glad  to  say  is  steadily 
although  slowly  improving  in  health.  Mr.  Archer  — 
familiarly  called  by  his  many  friends,  "Bob,"  has  been 
for  years  the  controlling  spirit  in  the  concern,  which  in 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES        31 

the  past  did  a  very  considerable  export  business  in  petro- 
leum and  spirits  turpentine  packed  in  cases,  as  stated, 
and  has  always  been  successful  throughout  his  more 
than  fifty  years  of  business  life.  He  is  now  restricting 
his  efforts,  although  in  close  touch  with  all  that  is  passing 
in  the  paint  and  oil  business. 

The  name  of  Wood  was  one  of  the  early  ones  in  the 
paint  manufacturing  business,  and  Henry  Wood  who 
began  in  Wellesley  in  1837,  and  was  the  originator  of 
the  widely  known  and  justly  celebrated  Marseilles  Green, 
was  located  at  26  India  Street,  Boston,  in  1852,  and  in 
1855,  at  29  Doane  Street,  as  Henry  Wood's  Son  &  Co. 
They  occupied  for  many  years  from  1868  and  after  1877, 
the  store  56  Broad  Street,  the  partners  then  being  at 
first  Horace  Humphreys  and  Edmund  M.  Wood,  and 
later  Marshall  F.  H.  Wood,  and  Louis  F.  Wood,  were 
admitted.  The  business  is  now  conducted  by  Henry 
Woods  Sons  Co.  at  Wellesley,  near  South  Natick  — R.  H. 
Johnson  being  President  and  William  E.  Harmon,  Treas- 
urer and  General  Manager.  Henry  Wood,  son  of  Edmund 
M.,  and  grandson  of  the  founder,  is  selling  representative. 
The  connection  of  this  company  with  the  New  England 
Paint  Co.  will  be  referred  to  later. 

The  business  of  J.  A.  &  W.  Bird  &  Co.,  was  established 
under  the  name  given,  at  53  Chatham  Street,  as  nearly 
as  I  can  ascertain  surely  by  1839,  and  more  than  likely  in 
the  fall  of  1838,  by  John  A.  Bird,  William  Bird,  2nd,  and 
John  N.  Randall,  who  was  a  brother  of  David  Randall, 
known  to  so  many  of  us.  It  is  possible  that  Mr.  Randall 
may  have  been  in  business  for  himself  a  little  earlier,  as 
he  was  named  as  a  clerk  in  the  directory  of  1839,  although 
directories  are  not  always  infallible.  They  continued 


32  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

at  the  same  place,  and  under  the  same  name,  until  1844 
or  1845,  when  Mr.  Randall  left  to  go  with  C.  C.  Henshaw 
under  the  name  of  Henshaw  &  Randall,  locating  next 
door,  at  51  Chatham  Street.  The  business  was  then 
continued  by  J.  A.  &  W.  Bird,  2nd,  under  that  name 
until  1846,  when  their  brother,  A.  Sigourney  Bird,  who 
had  been  a  clerk  for  a  year  or  two,  was  admitted  as 
partner.  They  later  moved  to  State  Street  Block,  211, 
and  while  located  there,  in  1869,  Mr.  Gershom  C.  Winsor 
(who  later  became  a  partner  in  the  petroleum  firm  of 
Carter  Winsor  &  Co.),  William  B.  Bird,  son  of  John  A. 
Bird  (who  had  begun  as  clerk  in  1862,  when  he  was  twenty 
years  old),  and  William  H.  Bird  (son  of  William),  were 
admitted  as  partners.  Edward  V.  Bird,  son  of  A.  Sigour- 
ney Bird,  entered  the  firm  in  1874,  and  he  retired  about 
ten  years  later,  and  his  home  for  the  last  twenty  years 
has  been  in  Egypt  on  the  Nile,  where  he  went  during 
the  winter  months,  originally  for  the  benefit  of  his  health. 

In  crossing  the  Atlantic  from  Liverpool  with  my  family, 
some  five  years  ago  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Mr. 
Bird  and  his  wife,  and  he  told  me  considerable  about 
his  life  in  Egypt,  and  that  he  had  bought  the  island  in 
the  Nile,  below  the  first  cataract,  from  Lord  Kitchener, 
who  had  been  granted  it  by  the  Egyptian  Government, 
after  he  had  conquered  the  Mahdi,  in  the  Soudan  cam- 
paign. Years  before,  Mr.  Bird  had  built  a  "dahabiyah" 
but  when  he  bought  this  island,  he  built  himself  a  large 
house  and  many  American  travelers  go  out  of  their  way 
to  visit  him  in  his  home. 

In  1876  the  firm  removed  to  119  Milk  Street,  and  in 
1882  Charles  T.  Carruth,  referred  to  elsewhere,  became 
a  partner,  retiring  two  years  ago  after  nearly  forty  years 


*JOHN  A.  BIRD  *WILLIAM  BIRD 

*WILLIAM  B.  BIRD 
*JACOB  W.  HOFFMAN  FRED  A.  SILVA,  JR. 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES        33 

of  active  and  honorable  service.  John  F.  Phillips  who 
had  been  connected  with  the  firm  a  dozen  or  fifteen 
years  previously,  was  a  partner  from  1883  to  1898,  when 
he  retired  and  I  think  he  died  about  1900.  Mr.  Henry 
D.  Page  was  a  partner  for  a  few  years,  retiring  in  1898, 
when  Mr.  William  B.  Bird's  son,  Reginald  W.  Bird, 
was  admitted  as  a  partner.  The  latter  began  as  an 
office  boy  in  1893  and  filled  all  positions  acceptably  until 
admitted  to  partnership  as  stated.  He  has  proved 
an  energetic,  successful  and  worthy  business  man. 

The  firm  now  is  composed  solely  of  William  B.  Bird 
and  Mr.  R.  W.  Bird.  For  several  years  after  removal 
from  the  Milk  Street  store  —  demolished  to  make  room 
for  the  telephone  building  —  they  were  located  at  34-35 
India  Street,  and  about  1910  moved  to  88  Pearl  Street, 
where  they  are  at  present  located.  They  have  always 
been  successful  and  have  a  high  reputation  and  do  a 
very  large  business  with  manufacturers  in  dyestuffs 
and  chemicals,  and  also  in  their  several  specialties, 
including  Ripolin,  and  are  also  large  distributers  of 
denatured  alcohol.  July  1,  1902,  they  disposed  of  their 
jobbing  paint  business  to  the  Pittsburgh  Plate  Glass  Co. 
Mr.  William  Bird  died  about  1878  and  his  brother, 
John  A.,  about  two  years  later.  Mr.  A.  Sigourney  Bird 
died  about  1893  or  1894,  having  been  nearly  fifty  years 
in  the  business.  Mr.  William  H.  Bird,  the  son  of  William, 
died  about  1884. 

As  stated,  it  was  customary  for  painters  to  mix  up 
paints  and  colors  for  sale,  and  in  many  instances  the 
painting  business  was  given  up  and  sale  of  paints  con- 
tinued. On  this  supposition  or  basis,  especial  mention 
should  be  made  of  the  name  of  Haven,  now  borne  by  a 


34  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

dealer  in  paints  of  the  third  generation  of  painters  and 
paint  dealers,  consecutively  for  eighty-nine  years. 

In  1825,  when  twenty-one  years  of  age,  Mr.  Calvin 
W.  Haven  was  undeniably  a  painter,  on  Common  Street, 
Boston,  and  from  1827  to  1839  was  a  partner  with  Lewis 
Bullard,  and  also  Mr.  Breed,  at  16-24  and  8  Essex  Street, 
near  Washington  Street,  and  then  was  alone  for  several 
years  at  same  place.  Next  he  was  of  Haven  &  Dexter 
(Joseph  Dexter),  for  seventeen  years  paint  dealers  at 
503  and  531  Washington  Street,  and  twelve  years  alone 
at  same  store,  the  numbers  having  been  changed  in  1876 
from  531  to  689.  Mr.  Haven  died  in  March,  1882, 
leaving  a  handsome  property  for  those  tunes. 

His  son,  Frank  Haven  (who  started  in  the  paint  business 
on  his  own  account  as  Field  &  Haven,  and  is  referred  to 
elsewhere),  took  the  business,  remaining  at  689  Washing- 
ton Street  until  1900,  moving  then  to  24  Eliot  Street, 
and  later  to  32  Eliot  Street.  The  business  was  taken 
over  in  1904  by  Charles  F.  Haven  (son  of  Frank  Haven, 
who  is  still  living),  who  has  successfully  conducted  it 
at  32  Eliot  Street.  The  business  has  thus  been  in  ex- 
istence eighty-nine  years,  through  three  generations. 

Pearson  H.  Field,  Jr.,  and  Frank  Haven  begun  business 
in  1857  at  84  Union  Street,  under  the  name  of  Field 
&  Haven.  Two  years  later  they  moved  to  55  Broad 
Street,  Mr.  Charles  W.  Dexter  joining  the  firm  under 
the  name  of  Dexter,  Field  &  Haven.  This  partnership 
existed  for  five  years  or  1864,  when  Mr.  Dexter  made 
other  connections  and  the  remaining  partners  moved 
to  132  Milk  Street,  and  continued  there  six  or  seven 
years,  when  in  1870,  on  retirement  of  Mr.  Field,  the 
business  was  run  by  Mr.  Haven  alone,  as  Frank  Haven 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES         35 

&  Co.,  until  early  in  1871  it  was  sold  to  May,  Nash  & 
Winslow. 

Both  Mr.  Field  and  Mr.  Haven  went  into  the  manu- 
facture of  organs  as  The  Boston  Organ  Co.,  at  395  Milk 
Street.  After  a  few  years,  the  business  was  discontinued 
and  Mr.  Haven,  about  1880,  went  back  into  the  paint 
business,  as  stated  elsewhere. 

The  name  of  Cotton  has  been  connected  for  many 
years  with  the  paint  and  painting  business,  beginning 
in  1796,  when  John  Cotton  —  who  was  one  of  seventeen 
children  and  who  was  born  in  1771,  and  died  November 
25,  1837  —  had  a  paint  shop  on  Milk  Street,  probably 
corner  of  Batterymarch  Street.  It  was  later  run  by  him, 
with  several  partners  and  from  1813  to  1826,  under  his 
own  name,  and  with  his  son,  Solomon,  as  John  Cotton 
&  Son.  There  were  other  partners  later  and  in  1834, 
it  was  Cotton  &  Wyman,  95  Milk  Street.  John  Cotton's 
father,  Solomon  and  grandfather,  John  Cotton,  founded 
the  business  which  finally  developed  into  the  American 
Tube  Works,  which  business  has  been  run  for  so  many 
years  by  the  Cotton  family. 

John  Cotton,  the  painter,  occupied  for  his  business 
on  Milk  Street  for  forty  years  a  portion  of  the  large 
tract  of  land  largely  owned  by  the  Cotton  family, 
bounded  by  Milk,  Batterymarch,  Purchase  and  Oliver 
Streets,  which  included  a  large  part  of  old  Fort  Hill. 
I  thought  at  first  that  these  Cottons  were  a  connection 
of  John  Cotton  &  Son,  paint  dealers  and  painters,  who 
started  in  1849  as  John  Cotton  at  Harrison  Avenue, 
corner  of  Essex  Street  and  in  1871  were  at  170,  and 
since  1898  at  142  Harrison  Avenue,  but  I  have  about 


36  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

concluded  that  the  latter  are  from  a  different  branch, 
with  French  antecedents. 

John  Cotton  of  Harrison  Avenue  —  who  was  born 
in  1821  —  died  in  1884  and  since  then  his  son,  William 
E.  Cotton,  has  run  the  business  as  John  Cotton  &  Son. 

Ruel  Baker  was  also  a  very  early  painter  and  paint 
dealer,  beginning  in  1818,  and  running  up  to  about  1849, 
when  it  was  R.  Baker  &  Son,  paint  dealers,  at  410  Washing- 
ton Street. 

The  name  of  Randall  appeared  first  in  the  business 
in  1838  or  1839,  when  John  N.  was  junior  in  J.  A.  &  W. 
Bird  &  Co.,  at  53  Chatham  Street.  Later,  about  1845 
or  1846,  Charles  Henshaw  and  John  N.  Randall  began 
business  at  51  Chatham  Street.  David  Randall,  brother 
of  John  N.,  was  a  clerk  then  at  4  Harvard  Court,  and  I 
think  he  was  a  clerk  that  same  year  for  Henshaw  & 
Randall.  At  any  rate,  a  year  or  two  later,  or  about 
1848,  at  31  India  Street,  the  firm  of  Randall,  Batchelder 
&  Co.,  was  formed,  of  which  David  Randall,  L.  E.  Bat- 
chelder, and  George  P.  Folsom  —  uncle  of  Charles  E. 
Folsom  —  were  partners.  One  year  later,  about  1849, 
we  find  David  and  John  N.  Randall  as  Randall  Bros, 
at  the  old  store  of  Henshaw  &  Randall,  50-51  Chatham 
Street,  and  the  next  year,  1850,  the  firm  name  was  Randall 
Bros.  &  Co.,  Mr.  Batchelder  having  been  taken  into 
the  concern  once  more.  Soon  after,  or  about  1851  or 
1852,  the  firm  name  Randall  &  Batchelder,  composed 
of  John  N.  Randall  and  Mr.  Batchelder,  and  Mr.  David 
Randall  was  a  clerk  the  next  year  with  that  same  con- 
cern, and  continued  later  in  same  place,  with  George 
B.  Rogers,  during  1853  and  1854.  In  1858  Mr.  L.  E. 
Batchelder  was  alone  at  1  India  Street,  and  in  1865 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       37 

David  Randall  was  alone  at  29  India  Street,  and  for 
several  years  following.  In  1875  Mr.  Randall  was  in 
business  at  28  India  Street,  and  he  had  a  partner  then 
for  a  few  years,  Mr.  Rowland  Hunt,  whom  many  of  the 
trade  will  remember.  About  1880  the  firm  name  was 
changed  to  Randall  &  Carruth,  Mr.  Charles  T.  Carruth, 
who  had  been  clerk  and  partner  in  the  firm  of  N.  &  C. 
Carruth  &  Co.,  114  State  Street,  having  joined  forces 
with  Mr.  Randall.  Mr.  Carruth  retired  about  1882, 
and  entered  the  firm  of  J.  A.  &  W.  Bird  &  Co.,  and  Mr. 
Randall  continued  business  as  David  Randall  &  Co. 
After  Mr.  Carruth  retired,  Mr.  Leonard  Smith  was 
taken  in  as  partner  and  continued  about  three  years, 
and  in  July,  1887,  Mr.  Albert  E.  Carr  (only  son  of  John 
Carr,  so  long  President  of  the  First  National  Bank) 
and  Mr.  Walter  Tufts  were  admitted  as  partners.  Mr. 
Carr  begun  service  as  a  boy  for  David  Randall,  January 
1,  1883. 

Mr.  Randall  had  served  as  a  member  of  the  State 
Senate  and  was  very  much  respected  in  the  trade, 
and  he  died  in  Waltham,  November,  1887.  Mr.  Carr 
retired  from  active  service  in  the  firm  in  1900,  and  his 
interest  entirely  ceased  in  1905,  he  having  entered  the 
concern  of  Silver,  Burdett  &  Co.,  book  publishers,  as 
Treasurer,  where  he  is  at  the  present  time.  Mr.  Tufts 
retired  May  1,  1889,  to  act  as  manager  of  the  Salem 
Lead  Co.,  a  subsidiary  of  the  National  Lead  Co.  He 
subsequently  became  and  is  today,  Boston  manager 
of  the  Massachusetts  Corporation  of  the  National  Lead 
Co.,  and  a  Director  in  the  parent  Company.  Mr.  Ralph 
E.  Potter,  who  had  come  as  a  boy  to  David  Randall 
&  Co.,  July  1,  1887,  purchased  Mr.  Carr's  interest  in 


38  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

the  business,  January  1,  1905,  and  successfully  carries 
it  on  at  71  Kilby  Street,  under  the  name  of  David  Randall 
&Co. 

In  1842  there  was  established  at  59  Union  Street 
the  firm  of  Charles  Hollis  &  Co.,  the  company  being 
Asahel  Wheeler.  In  1844  the  firm  name  was  Hollis  & 
Wheeler,  and  in  1850  Mr.  Wheeler  was  alone.  In  1853 
we  find  him  at  73  Union  Street,  associated  with  H.  Bright, 
Jr.,  under  the  firm  name  of  Asahel  Wheeler  &  Co.  Not 
long  after  it  was  Wheeler  &  Whitney,  and  later  J.  P. 
Whitney  &  Co.,  the  latter  in  1856  at  61  Union  Street. 
In  1862  Mr.  Wheeler  was  at  41  Water  Street,  and  in 
1864  at  69  Water  Street,  corner  of  Congress  and  Bath 
Streets  —  now  Postoffice  Square  —  removing  to  Battery- 
march  Street,  at  the  tune  of  the  Boston  Fire,  and  locating 
at  145  Milk  Street,  in  about  1874. 

The  present  concern  which  located  hi  1901  in  building 
58  High  Street,  owned  by  Mr.  Wheeler,  was  incorporated 
in  1904,  with  officers:  George  W.  Wheeler,  as  President 
and  Treasurer,  who  was  with  his  father  as  far  back  as 
1864,  and  Richard  Y.  Good  (who  has  been  hi  the  busi- 
ness thirty-five  years),  as  Vice-President  and  General 
Manager.  Mr.  Wheeler's  son,  John  B.  E.  Wheeler  has 
lately  entered  the  business  and  is  now  Assistant  Treas- 
urer. Mr.  Asahel  Wheeler  died  in  1901,  aged  eighty-four 
years.  Mr.  WTieeler  served  fifty-nine  years  in  the  paint 
business  and  understood  it  thoroughly,  and  advanced 
many  original  ideas.  Many  of  us  remember  his  inven- 
tion "Siccohast"  which  had  quite  a  sale  at  one  time, 
and  we  also  remember  with  affection,  his  old-time  polite- 
ness, sincerity,  and  earnestness. 

In  the  same  year,  1842,  the  paint  and  drug  firm  of 


*ASAHEL  WHEELER  RICHARD  Y.  GOOD 

GEORGE  W.  WHEELER 
*JOHN  BRIGGS  *J.  WILLIAM  RICE 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       39 

Wheeler  &  Briggs  was  started  at  4  Commercial  Wharf, 
the  partners  being  Lewis  Wheeler,  Jr.,  and  John  Briggs. 
John  Briggs  had  been  for  over  seven  years,  a  clerk  in 
the  employ  of  E.  &  F.  King,  beginning  with  Pratt  &  King, 
in  1834.  I  have  seen  letter  of  recommendation  from 
this  concern,  dated  June  24,  1841,  as  follows: 

June  24,  1841. 

The  bearer  of  this,  Mr.  John  Briggs,  has  served  his 
apprenticeship  with  us  and  been  hi  our  employ  upwards 
of  seven  years.  We  put  the  highest  confidence  in  his 
honesty  and  believe  that  his  knowledge  of  and  capacity 
in  all  matters  relating  to  the  business  of  drugs  and  medi- 
cines, will  render  his  services  of  the  highest  value  to  his 
employers. 

(Signed)      E.  &  F.  King. 

As  he  was  born  in  1820,  he  was  only  twenty-two  years 
old  when  he  entered  the  firm  of  Wheeler  &  Briggs.  In 
1847  Fred  Beck,  who  had  been  a  partner  of  E.  &  F. 
King  &  Co.,  for  a  short  time,  associated  himself  with 
Wheeler  &  Briggs,  at  75  Commercial  Street.  Mr.  Lewis 
Wheeler,  Jr.,  left  the  concern  in  1848,  starting  that  year 
in  business  alone  at  33  India  Street,  and  later,  1853, 
he  was  in  business  as  Lewis  Wheeler  &  Co.,  at  1  and  3 
Custom  House  Street,  corner  Broad  Street,  until  1875, 
when  the  business  was  discontinued.  The  firm  of  Briggs 
&  Robinson  was  formed  about  the  same  time,  locating 
at  27  Commercial  Street,  and  later  moved  to  5  Eastern 
Avenue,  where  they  remained  until  1861,  when  they 
removed  to  207  State  Street,  the  partners  then  being 
John  Briggs,  and  E.  P.  &  C.  E.  Robinson.  In  1876 
they  moved  to  33  Batterymarch  Street,  and  from  1879 


40  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

to  1889  John  Briggs  was  alone,  under  the  name  of  John 
Briggs  &  Co.,  at  the  same  location.  In  1890  the  firm 
was  changed  to  Briggs,  Hoffman  &  Co.,  John  Briggs, 
Jr.,  and  Jacob  W.  Hoffman  (formerly  with  Howe  & 
French)  being  admitted. 

Mr.  John  Briggs,  ST.,  died  in  December,  1894,  aged 
seventy-four  years,  having  spent  sixty  years  in  the  paint 
and  oil  business.  He  was  a  well-informed,  practical,  and 
very  forceful  man,  in  speech,  as  well  as  actions,  and 
will  be  long  and  well  remembered.  Mr.  Benjamin 
Hammond  became  a  member  of  the  firm  March  1, 
1895,  taking  the  place  of  Mr.  Hoffman,  and  Mr.  Albert 
E.  Cole  was  admitted  April,  1895.  In  July,  1907,  the 
business  was  incorporated,  and  later  Messrs.  Cole  and 
Hammond  retired  to  make  other  connections.  The 
officers  of  the  new  Corporation  of  John  Briggs  &  Co., 
now  located  at  45  Purchase  Street,  are  John  Briggs, 
President;  E.  W.  Cooper,  Vice-President;  J.  E.  Maroney, 
Treasurer;  and  George  J.  Beake,  Secretary.  They  were 
fhte  first  large  manufacturers  of  putty  in  New  England. 

Mr.  Hoffman  retired  from  the  Briggs-Hoffman  Co., 
formed  a  Corporation  in  1895,  at  434  Atlantic  Avenue, 
Messrs.  Silva,  Annable  and  Cooper,  becoming  stockholders 
in  same,  Mr.  Cooper  having  been  with  the  New  England 
Paint  Co.  In  1904  Mr.  Charles  F.  Richardson  con- 
nected himself  with  the  concern,  the  name  being  Hoffman- 
Richardson  &  Co.,  but  Mr.  Richardson  retired  after  a 
year  or  two,  and  the  name  was  changed  in  1906  to  J. 
W.  Hoffman  Co.,  and  they  moved  about  that  time  to 
8  Medford  Street.  Mr.  A.  K.  Woodward  was  admitted 
in  1907,  and  Mr.  Cooper  left  at  the  same  time  to  connect 
himself  with  John  Briggs  &  Co.,  Inc.  Mr.  Hoffman 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       41 

died  November  10,  1908,  aged  sixty-one  years,  and  it 
will  be  a  long  time  before  we  forget  our  good  old  friend 
"Jake."  In  1913  they  moved  their  office  and  factory 
to  Everett,  and  the  present  officers  are  L.  A.  Merrow, 
President;  A.  K.  Woodward,  Vice-President ;  and  Fred 
A.  Silva,  Jr.,  Treasurer. 

The  Acme  White  Lead  &  Color  Works,  one  of  the  very 
largest  paint  manufacturers  in  the  country,  whose  main 
factories  are  in  Detroit,  were  located  in  Boston  at  193 
High  Street  in  1893,  although  they  did  not  remain  here 
very  long.  In  July,  1907,  they  had  an  interest  in  the 
Tremont  Paint  &  Color  Works,  which  were  located  on 
Washington  Street  and  Union  Street,  and  in  July, 
1909,  they  bought  out  the  Tremont  Company,  and  the 
office  and  salesroom  had  been  removed  to  East  Boston, 
where  the  large  factory  built  originally  by  John  Briggs 
&  Co.,  and  wharves  of  the  Acme  Company,  are  located. 
Mr.  Albert  E.  Cole,  whose  home  is  in  Salem,  is  in  active 
management  of  these  Works. 

In  1843  there  was  formed  at  1  India  Street,  corner 
of  State  Street,  the  firm  of  Cutler,  Day  &  Co.,  consisting 
of  A.  L.  Cutler,  A.  B.  Day,  and  E.  Blatchford.  Mr. 
Cutler  (whose  three  other  brothers  were  later  in  the 
wholesale  drug  business  as  Cutler  Bros.  &  Co.),  had 
been  a  clerk  for  Reed,  Wing  &  Cutler,  from  1839  to  1843, 
at  54  Chatham  Street,  near  where  have  since  been  located 
so  many  paint,  oil,  and  drug  firms.  In  1849,  the  concern 
as  Cutler  &  Stickney,  was  located  at  the  same  place. 
Mr.  Day  was  for  a  time  alone  and  later  was  of  Hale, 
Day  &  Storey,  7  Long  Wharf.  Mr.  Cutler  was  alone 
in  1851,  and  in  1852  he  moved  to  43  India  Street,  asso- 
ciating with  himself,  Mr.  Charles  Henry  Cutler,  another 


42  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

brother,  who  was  later  Chicago  manager  for  C.  T.  Ray- 
nolds  &  Co.  Mr.  A.  L.  Cutler  was  a  manufacturer  of 
varnish  in  1856,  and  Mr.  C.  Henry  Cutler  continued  as 
partner  until  1863,  at  156  State  Street.  A.  L.  Cutler 
moved  to  147  Milk  Street,  in  1869,  and  later  to  143  High 
Street.  In  January,  1874,  Mr.  William  S.  Cutler  was 
admitted  a  partner  with  his  father,  the  same  day  that 
I  was  admitted  a  partner  with  my  father.  Herbert 
D.  Cutler,  another  son  of  A.  L.  Cutler,  was  for  many 
years  prominent  in  the  manufacture  and  jobbing  of 
paint  in  Kansas  City,  in  the  concerns  of  Campbell  & 
Cutler,  Cutler  &  Nplson,  and  Cutler  Paint  &  Glass  Co. 

December  31, 1899,  the  firms  of  A.  L.  Cutler  &  Co.  and 
Gould  &  Company  were  consolidated  and  incorporated, 
under  the  name  of  Gould  &  Cutler,  Corporation,  and 
located  at  69-71  Union  Street,  later  taking  the  adjoin- 
ing store  at  75  Union  Street.  This  was  the  first  incor- 
poration among  Boston  paint  firms  and  since  then 
nearly  all  are  now  doing  business  under  corporate  names. 

In  1853  my  father,  John  A.  Gould,  who  had  been  a 
clerk  in  the  law  office  of  Gardner  Greene  Hubbard, 
and  also  for  his  uncle,  Dr.  Porter,  became  a  partner 
with  the  latter,  under  the  name  of  John  Porter  &  Co., 
and  located  at  12  Broad  Street,  where  the  Board  of  Trade 
Building  now  stands.  Prior  to  1853,  my  father  had 
worked  for  his  uncle,  John  Porter,  who  in  1850  kept  a 
lamp  and  burning  fluid  store  at  2  Court  Square,  near 
corner  of  Court  Street,  where  Young's  Hotel  now  is. 
Harvey  D.  Parker  had  for  several  years  kept  a  restaurant, 
very  next  door,  No.  3,  including  basement,  and  my  father 
has  told  me  that  Harvey  D.  paid  the  closest  attention 
to  every  detail  and  he  had  seen  him  many  times  wearing 


*JOHN  A.  GOULD  *A.  L.  CUTLER 

GEORGE  A.  RICHARDSON 
GEORGE  L.  GOULD  *WILLIAM  S.  CUTLER 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       43 

the  white  jacket  or  apron  of  a  waiter  or  chef.  He  became 
popular  with  his  patrons  and  the  result  in  a  very  few 
years  was  the  famous  Parker  House,  corner  School  and 
Tremont  Streets,  and  the  present  owners  of  that  hotel 
also  control  the  place  where  he  first  started. 

In  1861  J.  Porter  &  Co.  were  at  73  Clinton  Street 
and  my  father  took  delight  in  telling  that  while  in  that 
store  Mr.  John  D.  Rockefeller  called  on  him  one  day 
and  made  a  contract  to  buy  all  the  empty  oil  barrels 
they  would  give  him  and  they  shipped  5600  to  Cleveland 
that  year.  The  next  year  they  moved  to  59  Kilby 
Street,  corner  of  Water  Street.  They  had  manufactured 
Porter's  Patent  Burning  Fluid,  made  from  camphene 
and  alcohol,  which  was  in  the  early  fifties,  by  far  the 
best  artificial  light  at  that  time,  as  gas  was  comparatively, 
if  not  wholly,  unknown,  as  an  illuminant,  and  of  course, 
petroleum  had  not  been  discovered  —  the  chief  com- 
petitors of  Burning  Fluid  having  been  sperm  oil  and 
candles. 

Prior  to  the  Civil  War,  in  the  late  fifties,  illuminating 
oil  was  manufactured  from  coal,  and  in  or  about  1859 
Dr.  Porter  and  my  father  had  a  refinery  in  Coshocton 
County,  Ohio,  and  they  put  out  the  brand  "Coaline" 
Oil,  which  came  only  a  year  or  two  after  Samuel 
Downer  invented  the  word  Kerosene,  and  the  business 
promised  to  be  a  good  one,  inasmuch  as  the  War  had 
inflated  prices  of  camphene  and  alcohol  to  three  or 
four  dollars  per  gallon,  so  that  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  sell  burning  fluid  to  any  extent.  The  discovery  of 
petroleum,  however,  changed  the  whole  situation  and 
the  coal  oil  factory  referred  to  was  sold  early  in  1862 


44  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

as  junk  and  they  were  forced  to  obtain  petroleum  oil 
elsewhere. 

In  about  1864  or  1865  my  father  associated  himself 
with  Silas  Burbank  and  his  son,  Charles  G.  Burbank, 
in  the  manufacture  of  varnish  at  Alford  Street,  Charles- 
town,  and  shortly  after  a  general  paint  business  was 
begun  by  him.  I  recall  going  over  to  the  factory,  1865 
or  1866,  as  a  small  boy,  and  working  vacation  days 
and  holidays,  sorting  kauri  gum.  I  was  born  in 
Woburn,  February  6,  1852,  and  began  work  as  an  errand 
boy  August  1,  1867,  in  the  store  of  John  Porter  &  Co., 
in  Liberty  Square,  101  Water  Street,  and  59  Kilby  Street, 
where  the  John  C.  Paige  Insurance  Agency  now  is. 
My  father  was  sole  proprietor  and  I  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  January  1,  1874. 

We  were  burned  out  at  the  Water  and  Kilby  Street 
store  in  the  big  Boston  fire,  November  9,  1872.  Very 
few  of  the  trade  suffered  from  that  fire,  as  it  was  stopped 
the  next  block  to  where  we  were  located,  that  is,  where 
the  Mason  Building  in  Liberty  Square,  now  stands.  It 
may  not  be  amiss  to  recount  a  very  few  incidents  of 
that  fire,  although  they  may  have  a  small  personal 
tincture,  but  such  is  the  penalty  or  rather  result  of 
reminiscences.  I  was  a  young  man,  twenty  years  of 
age,  and  went  from  Chelsea  about  nine  o'clock  that 
Saturday  evening  and  watched  the  ravages  of  the  fire, 
from  Summer  Street  to  Franklin  Street,  never  think- 
ing for  a  moment  that  it  would  get  to  our  place.  About 
four  to  five  o'clock  Sunday  morning  it  began  to  look 
very  serious,  and  a  little  later  the  Department  had 
brought  dynamite  or  other  explosive  material  to  the 
store  of  Asahel  Wheeler,  at  the  corner  of  Water  and 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       45 

Congress  Street.  While  they  were  blowing  up  those 
buildings  I  was  working  in  our  store  at  the  other  end 
of  the  block  getting  what  goods  we  could  together  to 
be  carted  to  what  is  now  Fort  Hill  Square.  For  a  week 
or  more  nearly  all  the  horses  of  Boston  had  been  down 
with  epizootic  or  horse  influenza,  and  certainly  not 
half  of  the  horses  in  Boston  were  available  at  that  time, 
and  therefore  prices  were  very  high.  I  engaged  a  horse 
and  wagon  at  fifteen  dollars  per  load  and  had  four  loads 
carted  to  Fort  Hill  Square  before  the  flames  destroyed 
our  store.  When  the  man  came  to  collect  his  pay  the 
next  week  he  was  conscience  stricken  and  said  that 
he  thought  five  dollars  per  load  was  enough,  and  certainly 
this  was  one  of  the  events  of  the  Boston  Fire  that  shone 
out  in  a  bright  light  in  my  memory. 

The  old  Fort  Hill  was  being  cut  down  at  that  time, 
the  dirt  being  used  to  fill  in  between  India  Street, 
Central  and  India  Wharves,  to  where  Atlantic  Avenue 
now  runs  — -  where  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  other 
large  buildings  now  stand.  There  was  ample  vacant  land 
for  storage  of  goods  that  were  saved  in  this  manner, 
but  it  was  a  pitifully  small  proportion  of  the  whole 
quantity,  and  there  were  various  thefts  of  the  goods 
that  were  left  there  for  many  days.  I  went  to  my  home 
in  Chelsea  about  nine  o'clock  Sunday  morning  with  all 
my  pockets  crammed  full  of  paint  and  varnish  brushes 
and  met  my  father  on  Hanover  Street  coming  to  Boston, 
to  see  what  had  happened.  I  told  him  that  our  store 
was  burned  two  or  three  hours  before. 

Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Charles  S.  Jenney  we 
took  the  few  goods  which  were  saved  to  46  India 
Street,  occupying  a  part  of  the  Jenney  premises,  where 


46  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

we  stayed  about  a  year,  and  later  moved  to  35  India 
Street,  where  we  remained  until  1877,  then  moving  to 
Union  Street,  where  we  located  until  December,  1902, 
when  we  occupied  the  entire  building  at  105  North  Street, 
corner  of  Cross  Street,  remaining  there  nearly  nine  years. 
Three  years  ago,  June  1,  1911,  we  moved  to  our  present 
location,  41-49  Sudbury  Street,  corner  of  Bowker  Street, 
which  had  just  been  vacated  by  the  Pittsburgh  Plate 
Glass  Co. 

Our  house  is  distributing  agency  for  Muresco,  Moora- 
mel,  Sani-Flat,  and  other  products  of  Benjamin  Moore 
&  Co.,  now  perhaps  the  third  or  fourth  largest  paint 
manufacturing  concern  in  the  country.  Mr.  A.  L.  Cutler 
died  December  12,  1904,  and  Mr.  John  A.  Gould  died 
January  31,  1906,  both  being  nearly  eighty-seven  years 
at  the  time  of  death.  Mr.  William  S.  Cutler  died  Sep- 
tember 10,  1911,  and  Roger  I.  Cuyler  (formerly  with  the 
Carter  White  Lead  Co.,  Chicago),  who  succeeded  him  as 
Treasurer,  died  June  7,  1912.  I  can  vouch  for  the  ability 
and  high  character  of  all  of  these  gentlemen. 

As  stated  before,  A.  L.  Cutler  &  Co.  and  Gould  & 
Company  were  consolidated  December  31,  1859.  The 
present  officers  of  the  Corporation  are:  George  L.  Gould, 
President;  Charles  D.  Miller,  Vice-President;  George  W. 
Bacheller  (who  came  as  clerk  in  November,  1881),  Treas- 
urer; George  A.  Richardson,  Assistant  Treasurer;  and 
Guy  C.  Rowell,  Secretary.  Mr.  George  F.  Sumner  is 
Superintendent  of  the  Store  Sales  Department,  with 
Ray  W.  Wanzer  as  Assistant,  and  Mr.  Simon  Newton 
looks  after  the  advertising  and  other  details.  Mr.  John 
T.  Hurley  has  had  charge  of  the  Shipping  Department 
since  our  incorporation,  twenty-five  years  ago,  and  had 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       47 

been  with  Mr.  Cutler  twelve  years,  thus  making  thirty- 
seven    years  of  continuous  and  faithful  service. 

Mathias  Crocker,  who  lived  in  Maiden  and  whose 
connection  with  so  many  men  in  paints  and  oils  is  so 
marked,  seems  to  have  begun  business  in  1843  and  possibly 
in  1842  at  49  Blackstone  Street  with  Charles  H.  Badger, 
under  the  name  of  Crocker  &  Badger,  succeeded  about 
1849  by  C.  H.  Badger  —  Mr.  Crocker  having  formed 
the  firm  of  Banker  &  Crocker.  John  C.  Howe  was 
clerk  for  Mr.  Badger  in  1849  (I  think  he  was  a  brother- 
in-law),  and  became  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  C.  H.  Badger 
&  Co.  in  1851  or  1852.  In  1859  Mr.  Howe  who  had 
run  the  business  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Badger  —  some 
two  or  three  years  previously — took  the  business,  with 
John  J.  French  as  partner,  under  the  name  of  Howe 
&  French,  and  they  were  very  successful  during  the 
War  period.  Mr.  French  had  been  clerk  for  the  large 
drug  firm  of  Reed  &  Cutler,  at  33  India  Street,  for  several 
years.  Mr.  Peter  Ripley  and  Mr.  Frederick  W.  French 
were  admitted  as  partners  in  1871,  the  firm  name  con- 
tinuing as  Howe  &  French.  In  1879,  they  removed  to 
107  Milk  Street. 

Mr.  John  J.  French  died  about  twenty-five  years  ago 
and  Mr.  John  C.  Howe  died  in  the  fall  of  1901,  being 
the  last  survivor  of  the  old  Howe  &  French  concern,  both 
leaving  large  estates.  Mr.  Ripley  died  in  August,  1892, 
and  Frederick  W.  French  died  July  18,  1900,  in  his 
fifty-eighth  year,  having  been  born  September  10,  1842. 
The  business  was  continued  by  Mr.  Howe's,  executors 
until  1904,  when  the  present  corporation  of  Howe  & 
French  succeeded  to  the  business  on  High  Street.  The 
officers  of  the  present  Company  are  Clarence  P. 


48  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

Seaverns,  President;  William  D.  Rockwood,  Treasurer; 
and  Milton  S.  Thompson,  Vice-President.  Mr.  Rock- 
wood  has  been  connected  with  the  business  since  1884 
and  Mr.  Seaverns  since  1889. 

For  a  year  or  two,  the  first  part  of  this  century,  C.  P. 
Seaverns  &  Co.  were  located  at  72  Broad  Street,  where 
Harrison  Bros.  &  Co.,  of  Philadelphia,  were  represented 
by  the  first  named  concern,  and  it  is  probable  that  they 
removed  to  High  Street,  when  they  succeeded  to  the 
Howe  &  French  business,  and  adopted  the  old  name  of 
that  concern.  The  old  Howe  &  French  Isinglass  business 
has  since  been  conducted  by  Howe  &  French  Isinglass 
Co.,  with  office  at  89  State  Street. 

Charles  W.  Badger,  son  of  Charles  H.  Badger  and 
nephew  of  John  C.  Howe,  was  a  clerk  with  the  latter 
firm  prior  to  1875,  when  they  took  on  also  the  new  store, 
107  Milk  Street,  and  retained  for  a  while  the  old  store 
at  69  Blackstone  Street,  and  very  likely  Mr.  Charles 
W.  Badger  was  manager  of  the  Blackstone  Street  store 
at  that  tune.  At  any  rate,  in  1876  it  came  into  Mr. 
Badger's  hands  and  he  remained  there  several  years, 
finally  removing  to  11  Union  Street,  where  he  remained 
until  he  was  burned  out  some  ten  or  twelve  years  ago. 
The  fire  was  so  complete  that  he  decided  to  retire  from 
business  at  that  time  and  is  now  living,  I  think,  in  Newton. 

Mr.  Crocker  continued  in  business  with  George  W. 
Banker  for  a  few  years,  and  in  1852  became  partner 
in  the  firm  of  Wadsworth-Nye  &  Crocker,  38  India  Street, 
the  company  being  started  in  1847  by  Samuel  Wadsworth 
and  J.  A.  Nye,  under  the  name  of  Wadsworth  &  Nye, 
at  116  State  Street,  although  Mr.  Wadsworth  really 
started  the  business  in  1845  at  116  State  Street  under 


PLEASE    ACCEPT 

WITH    COMPLIMENTS   OF   THE 

PAINT   AND    OIL   CLUB   OF    NEW    ENGLAND 


*MARCUS  M.  WADSWORTH  JOHN  WADSWORTH 

CHARLES  F.  ROWLAND 
ARTHUR  P.  FELTON  GKORGE  H.  KIMBALL 


PAINT,  OIL,  VAKNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES         49 

the  name  of  Thompson  &  Wadsworth.  The  present 
Corporation  of  Wad?worth-Howland  &  Co.  was  thus 
started  in  1845.  In  1850  it  became  Wadsworth,  Nye 
&  Co.,  the  company  being  Lawson  Valentine,  and  this 
seems  to  be  his  first  official  entrance  into  the  paint  and 
varnish  business,  although  he  may  have  made  varnish 
on  his  own  account  in  a  small  way.  In  1856  the  style 
was  Wadsworth-Crocker  &  Co.,  the  company  being 
Hiram  Wadsworth.  In  1857  Mr.  Crocker  retired  and 
joined  with  his  brother,  Nathan,  in  1858  at  34  India 
Street  as  M.  &  N.  Crocker  —  Samuel  and  Hiram 
W^adsworth  continuing  as  Wadsworth  &  Co.,  at  38  India 
Street,  Charles  F.  Howland  beginning  as  clerk  April, 
1858,  having  been  born  May  24,  1841.  In  1861  the 
two  firms  consolidated,  under  the  name  of  Crocker, 
Wadsworth  &  Co.,  at  34  India  Street,  the  company 
being  Hiram  and  Marcus  M.  Wadsworth.  Charles  F. 
Howland  was  admitted  partner  hi  1866,  and  in  1869, 
the  firm  name  became  Wadsworth,  Howland  &  Co., 
composed  of  Marcus  M.  Wadsworth,  Charles  F.  Howland, 
and  John  Wadsworth.  In  1874,  the  firm  became  a 
special  partnership  under  the  name  of  Wadsworth  Bros. 
&  Howland.  Mr.  Henry  A.  Robbins  became  connected 
with  the  concern  early  in  1880  and  was  a  partner  in  the 
house  in  1883,  and  for  many  years  served  with  much 
ability  as  Treasurer  and  Manager  until  his  retirement 
January  1,  1910.  Mr.  Robbins  is  now  Vice-President 
and  General  Manager  of  the  International  Ticket  Co., 
Boston.  i 

Mr.  Fred  A.  Gunnison  was  associated  with  the  firm 
for  many  years,  as  partner  and  director  in  the  Corpora- 


50  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

tion,  until  his  death  on  his  fiftieth  birthday,  January 
31,  1909. 

Mr.  Lucius  Turner  was  a  partner  and  director  in 
Wadsworth-Howland  &  Co.  until  his  death  in  1907. 
Mr.  Marcus  M.  Wadsworth  died  in  1908,  having  retired 
from  active  business  several  years  before.  Incorporation 
was  made  in  1894  under  the  name  of  Wadsworth,  How- 
land  &  Co.,  Inc.,  the  present  officers  being  Charles  F. 
Rowland,  President;  Arthur  P.  Felton,  Vice-President 
and  General  Manager  (who  has  been  with  the  company 
over  twenty-five  years);  George  H.  Kimball,  Treasurer; 
Charles  S.  Robbins,  Sales  Manager. 

John  Wadsworth  is  still  a  stockholder  and  director 
but  has  not  been  active  in  the  business  for  many  years, 
his  home  being  in  Pasadena,  Cal.  Mr.  Howland,  next 
to  Mr.  Charles  W.  Dexter,  has  the  record  of  longest 
service  (fifty-six  years)  in  the  paint  business  among  those 
living.  He  is  very  active  and  very  much  respected. 
Mr.  Arthur  Howland,  son  of  Charles  F.,  is  now  con- 
nected with  the  company,  being  in  charge  of  the 
Maiden  factory.  Their  offices  and  store  are  at  84 
Washington  Street,  with  factories  at  Maiden,  where 
their  "Bay  State"  Paints  and  Coatings  are  made.  They 
have  branch  stores  in  other  places  in  New  England, 
including  222  Clarendon  Street,  Boston.  They  are  an- 
nouncing removal  of  their  main  Boston  store  and  offices 
to  139  and  141  Federal  Street  late  the  coming  fall. 

George  S.  Dexter  in  1837  made  his  first  appearance 
in  the  paint  business  as  a  boy  of  thirteen,  working  for 
Pratt  &  King,  and  later  for  E.  &  F.  King.  He  was  a 
partner  in  E.  &  F.  King  &  Co.  in  1846,  and  the  firm  name 
became  King  &  Dexter  about  the  time  of  retirement 


*GEORGF,  S.  DEXTER  FRANKLIN  K.  DEXTER 

CHARLES  W.  DEXTER 
*JOHN  C.  HOWE  *EDMUND  M.  WOOD 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES        51 

of  Mr.  Edward  King.  As  Mr.  Edward  King  was  very 
desirous  of  going  into  the  business  again,  Mr.  Dexter 
sold  him,  in  1859  his  half  interest  for  a  handsome  sum, 
including  a  bonus  for  the  lease  and  good  will,  and  he 
was  a  rich  man  for  those  days,  and  only  thirty-five 
years  old. 

He  was  out  of  active  business  five  years  but  appar- 
ently could  not  stand  it  any  longer,  and  therefore,  in 
1864,  he  formed  at  55  Broad  Street  the  firm  of  Dexter 
Bros.,  his  partner  being  Charles  W.  Dexter,  who  was 
of  King,  Dexter  &  Co.  in  1852  and  had  been  a  clerk 
for  King  &  Dexter  for  quite  a  time  previously.  On 
leaving  the  King  concern  in  1859,  Mr.  Charles  W.  Dexter 
was  for  a  short  time  connected  with  J.  A.  &  W.  Bird  & 
Co.,  but  later  of  Dexter,  Field  &  Haven  (referred  to 
elsewhere),  located  at  55  Broad  Street,  and  at  the  end 
of  five  years,  in  1864,  he  joined  with  his  brother  George 
as  stated  above.  In  1872  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Still,  who 
began  as  clerk  in  1866,  and  Mr.  Franklin  King  Dexter, 
son  of  Mr.  George  S.,  were  admitted  as  partners.  Mr. 
F.  K.  Dexter  began  as  clerk  in  1866.  He  retired  from 
the  firm  January  1,  1891,  and  has  since  been  living  with 
his  wife  in  quiet  and  happiness  in  the  town  of  Weld, 
Maine,  spending  portions  of  the  winters  in  and  around 
Boston,  and  in  traveling.  Two  other  sons  of  George 
S.  Dexter  became  partners  in  the  firm,  Wallace  Dunbar 
Dexter  and  George  B.  Dexter,  who  joined  it  in  1876 
and  1886  respectively.  Mr.  W.  D.  Dexter  retired  in 
1889,  and  is  now  a  successful  real  estate  operator  and 
broker  in  Boston.  Mr.  Still  left  the  firm  in  1887  and  Mr. 
Charles  W.  Dexter  a  little  later,  both  making  other 
connections  referred  to  elsewhere. 


52  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

Mr.  George  S.  Dexter  retired  permanently  about  1876, 
and  died  December  26,  1901.  He  was  a  very  shrewd 
and  successful  man  of  business  and  impressed  his  strong 
personality  and  high  character  upon  all  with  whom  he 
was  brought  in  contact.  The  business  is  now  continued 
as  a  Corporation,  Dexter  Bros.  Co.,  located  at  109 
Broad  Street,  their  chief  specialty  being  Dexter's  English 
Shingle  Stain,  favorably  known  all  over  the  United  States. 
The  present  officers  are  George  B.  Dexter,  President  and 
Treasurer;  Frank  H.  Nutting,  Secretary,  and  George 
Stillman  Dexter,  Assistant  Treasurer.  Mr.  George  B. 
Dexter  has  traveled  extensively  and  has  given  interest- 
ing illustrated  lectures  before  our  Club  members,  and 
elsewhere. 

Exeter,  N.  H.,  became  represented  in  the  paint  business 

in  Boston  in  the  year  1853,  when  the  firm  of  J.  B.  &  C.  E. 

Folsom,  27  South  Market  Street,  was  established.     In 

1854,  under  style  of  J.  B.  &  C.  E.  Folsom  &  Co.,  Mr. 

Henry  R.  Merrill  was  admitted,  and  all  three  of  these 

were  natives  of  Exeter.     J.  B.  Folsom  had  a  brother, 

George  P.,  who  was  a  partner  of  David  Randall  in  1847. 

Another  brother  was  A.  Folsom,  who  was  in  the  oilcloth 

business  in  Dover  and  Boston.    Charles  E.  Folsom  was 

a  nephew  of  J.  B.  Folsom.    The  firm  name  was  changed 

to  Folsom  &  Merrill  in  1856,  and  they  took  the  adjoining 

store,  No.  28.    In  1858  Dr.  Abner  L.  Merrill,  also  from 

Exeter,  joined  the  firm  and  they  were  located  at  215 

State  Street,  in  State  Street  block.     In  1861  (and  possibly 

1860)  it  was  Folsom   &  Merrill.     In  1862  Mr.  Folsom 

retired  and  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Merrill  Bros. 

They  remained  on  State  Street  several  years,  until  removal 

to  120  Milk  Street,  as  will  be  noted  later. 


•CHARLES  E.  FOLSOM,  SR.  *HENRY  K.  MERRILL 

UR.  ABNER  L.  MERRILL 
CHARLES  E.  FOLSOM  ROBERT  D.  ARCHER 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       53 

Mr.  Folsom  organized  the  same  year,  1862,  the  firm 
of  Folsom  &  Dearborn,  at  10  India  Street.  In  1871 
the  firm  name  was  changed  to  C.  E.  Folsom  &  Co.,  and 
removal  was  made  to  34  India  Street,  where  they  were 
in  the  early  eighties,  and  about  1889  the  firm  moved 
from  Batterymarch  and  Franklin  Streets  to  124  Purchase 
Street,  the  proprietor  being  Mr.  Charles  E.  Folsom,  Jr., 
who  began  with  his  father  in  1872.  He  closed  out  the 
business  in  1898,  upon  his  election  as  one  of  the  Principal 
Assessors  of  City  of  Boston,  which  office  he  still  holds, 
being  Secretary  of  the  Board.  He  was  alderman  for  the 
years  1893-4-5-6,  in  the  City  of  Boston,  and  served  as 
State  Senator  in  1897  and  1898.  Mr.  Folsom,  Sr., 
died  in  September,  1893. 

Mr.  Henry  R.  Merrill,  in  connection  with  Mr.  Charles 
W.  Dexter  and  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Still,  who  had  been  with 
Merrill  Bros,  a  year  or  two,  formed  the  firm  of  Merrill, 
Dexter  &  Co.  about  1885.  They  were  located  at  120 
Milk  Street,  where  the  firm  of  Merrill  Bros,  had  been  for 
several  years  after  their  removal  from  215  State  Street, 
and  when  the  property  on  Milk  Street  was  needed  for 
the  Exchange  Club  building  about  1893  removed  to  142 
High  Street,  where  in  1906  the  business  was  incorporated 
under  the  same  name.  Dr.  Abner  L.  Merrill  had  retired 
from  active  business  before  that  time,  about  1885,  but 
has  kept  a  lively  interest  in  all  matters,  making  his  home 
generally  in  Exeter,  where  he  has  benefited  the  old  town 
and  its  institutions,  particularly  Phillips  Exeter  Academy, 
in  many  ways,  not  only  contributing  to  their  financial, 
moral  and  physical  betterment,  but  to  his  own  happiness. 
At  present,  Dr.  Merrill  is  living  quietly  at  the  Hotel 
Otis,  Mt.  Vernon  Street,  Boston,  at  the  advanced  age 


54  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

of  eighty-eight  years,  January  23,  1914,  in  full  possession 
of  his  faculties  —  more  so  than  most  men  at  sixty. 
Mr.  Henry  R.  Merrill  died  in  1897  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
nine —  one  of  the  most  respected  men  in  the  trade. 
Some  two  years  ago,  the  name  was  changed  to  Wilhelm- 
Dexter  Co.,  located  at  83  High  Street,  the  present  officers 
being  Charles  W.  Wilhelm,  President;  Charles  W.  Dexter, 
Vice-President;  Joseph  E.  Still,  Treasurer;  and  Herbert 
Leadbetter,  Secretary. 

Mr.  Dexter  is  the  dean  of  paint  dealers,  beginning 
as  clerk  in  1849  and  as  partner  in  1852.  Although 
eighty-seven  years  of  age,  he  is  still  active  and  well 
preserved  and  his  life  has  been  one  of  usefulness  and 
success.  I  think  that  with  this  continuous  service  of 
sixty-five  years,  Mr.  Dexter  might  well  claim  the  record 
of  all  in  the  Trade  in  this  country  and  very  seldom 
equalled  in  any  line,  exceeding  by  more  than  five  years 
that  of  my  dear  old  friend,  Mr.  George  W.  Fortmeyer, 
one  of  the  Directors  of  the  National  Lead  Co.,  in  New 
York  City.  Mr.  Fortmeyer  on  the  eighth  of  the  coming 
October  will  celebrate  the  completion  of  sixty  years 
since  he  began  in  the  white  lead  and  linseed  oil  business 
with  Robert  Colgate  &  Co.,  original  owners  of  the  Atlantic 
White  Lead  Co. 

In  1848  Charles  V.  Poor  began  business  as  Ross  & 
Poor  at  19  Tremont  Row,  and  later  he  was  alone  at  the 
same  place.  In  1852,  with  Daniel  B.  Shipman,  he  formed 
the  firm  of  Poor  &  Shipman.  Not  long  after  Mr.  Ship- 
man removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in  business, 
and  years  later  formed  the  D.  B.  Shipman  White  Lead 
Works,  which  were  afterwards  a  part  of  the  National 
Lead  Co.,  Mr.  Shipman  becoming  a  Director. 


*CHARLES  RICHARDSON  HERBERT  E.  GRANT 

FRANK  L.  WATSON 
CLARENCE  P.  SEAVERNS  WILLIAM  D.  ROCKWOOD 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES        55 

In  1853  Mr.  C.  V.  Poor  again  started  in  business  alone 
at  75  Broad  Street,  and  later  moved  to  India  Street, 
Augustus  Towne  being  admitted  in  1859,  continuing 
under  the  name  of  C.  V.  Poor  &  Co.  until  1869,  when 
George  A.  Allison  was  admitted,  under  the  name  of  Poor, 
Towne  &  Co.  Mr.  Poor  died  about  1874,  Mr.  Allison, 
about  1878,  and  Mr.  Towne  about  1883.  Mr.  Walter  A. 
Towne  continued  the  business  until  after  1894,  when 
the  firm  was  liquidated. 

Mr.  Charles  Richardson,  as  successor  to  W.  C.  Hunne- 
man,  Jr.,  of  44  India  Street  (formerly  at  54  Kilby  Street), 
dealer  in  paints  and  varnishes,  first  appeared  in  the 
paint  business  as  principal  in  1858,  when  with  J.  E. 
Sheldon  he  formed  the  firm  of  Charles  Richardson  & 
Co.,  at  44  India  Street,  and  three  years  later  Mr.  William 
H.  Hall  was  admitted.  Mr.  Richardson  had  worked 
for  Mr.  Hunneman  for  three  or  four  years  previously. 
They  moved  in  1863  to  61  Broad  Street,  corner  of  Milk 
Street,  and  in  1876  they  located  at  85  Oliver  Street, 
corner  of  High  Street,  where  the  business  has  been 
conducted  ever  since. 

Mr.  Charles  Richardson  died  in  May,  1895,  aged 
seventy-one  years.  He  was  very  forceful  and  original 
in  many  of  his  ideas.  His  long  beard  (which  often 
covered  his  lack  of  neck-tie),  gave  him  a  patriarchal 
appearance  which  deeply  impressed  the  younger  men 
and  the  boys,  to  whom  he  was  always  kind.  He  was 
always  interested  in  outside  affairs,  having  been  for  many 
years  President  of  the  old  Commercial  Travellers'  Mutual 
Benefit  Association.  He  was  first  President  of  the  Paint 
and  Oil  Club  of  New  England,  and  also  first  President 
of  the  National  Paint,  Oil  &  Varnish  Association,  which 


56  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

he,  in  connection  with  the  other  two  delegates  from  New 
England,  Mr.  John  D.  Morton  and  Mr.  George  L.  Gould, 
helped  to  organize  at  Saratoga  in  1888. 

It  is  a  singular  thing  that  these  men,  the  first  three 
Presidents  of  the  Paint  &  Oil  Club,  should  also  (all  of 
them,  later)  serve  as  President  of  the  National  Paint, 
Oil  &  Varnish  Association.  Mr.  Richardson  was  an  early, 
consistent  and  earnest  advocate  of  the  establishment  of 
the  Department  of  Commerce  in  the  Cabinet  of  the 
President,  and  he  lived  to  see  the  successful  accomplish- 
ment of  his  efforts.  Charles  F.  Richardson,  his  son, 
retired  December  31,  1901,  and  as  one  of  the  executors 
of  the  Estate  of  John  C.  Howe,  assisted  in  the  manage- 
ment of  Howe  &  French  for  a  year  or  so.  He  was  later 
connected  with  J.  W.  Hoffman  and  also  the  Bridgeport 
Wood  Finishing  Co.  He  is  at  present  engaged  in  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account  at  46  Cornhill. 

The  business  of  Charles  Richardson  &  Co.,  was  con- 
tinued under  the  same  name  from  January  1,  1902,  to 
August  1,  1904,  the  partners  being  Messrs.  Frank  L. 
Watson,  Edward  M.  Hallett,  B.  Edson  Fish,  and  Herbert 
E.  Grant.  On  the  latter  date,  the  name  was  changed  to 
Watson,  Hallett  &  Co.  Mr.  Hallett  retired  December 
1,  1905,  but  the  firm  continued  until  April  8,  1912, 
when  it  was  incorporated,  under  the  same  name,  with 
these  officers:  Herbert  E.  Grant,  President;  Frank  L. 
Watson,  Treasurer  and  General  Manager;  W.  W.  Tonner, 
Secretary;  and  John  J.  Hoar,  Director. 

Mr.  Fish,  who  began  his  connection  with  Mr.  Richard- 
son in  1864,  died  in  October,  1911,  after  a  service  of 
forty-seven  years.  Mr.  Watson  was  a  clerk  first  for  Mr. 
Richardson  in  1866,  and  was  admitted  as  partner  in  the 


JOHN  P.  MAY  EDWARD  W.  NASH 

SOLON  G.  WARREN 
ANTHONY  WAYNE  STRAUSS  ALBERT  E.  COLE 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES         57 

firm  September  1,  1887.  He  has  thus  been  connected 
in  faithful  service  with  the  concern  forty-eight  years. 

In  1871  the  firm  of  May,  Nash  &  Winslow  was  formed, 
and  they  located  at  132  Milk  Street,  having  bought  out 
Frank  Haven  &  Co.,  who  had  succeeded  Field  Haven  & 
Co.,  in  1870.  The  partners  were  John  P.  May,  who  began 
the  business  as  a  clerk  for  E.  &  F.  King  &  Co.,  June  24, 
1864,  when  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  Edward  W.  Nash, 
a  salesman  for  C.  E.  Folsom  &  Co.,  and  who  started  with 
Folsom  &  Dearborn  in  1863,  and  Andrew  R.  Winslow 
(son  of  John  B.  Winslow,  for  many  years  superintendent 
and  General  Manager  of  the  Boston  &  Lowell  R.R.), 
who  had  been  bookkeeper  for  the  Folsom  concern,  be- 
ginning about  1868. 

Mr.  May  is  grandson  of  Samuel  May,  who  founded 
the  metal  firm  of  May  &  Co.,  and  located  hi  store  at 
corner  of  State  and  Broad  Streets  a  century  ago.  He 
paid  two  thousand  dollars  for  the  land  at  that  corner 
and  was  called  a  fool,  but  nearly  a  hundred  years  later  — 
in  1911  —  the  same  lot  (with  buildings  of  no  value)  was 
sold  by  his  heirs  for  one  hundred  eighty-five  thousand 
($185,000)  dollars. 

May,  Nash  &  Winslow  continued  on  Milk  Street  until 
1876,  when  they  moved  to  67  Oliver  Street,  and  in  1887 
to  90  Pearl  Street.  Mr.  John  P.  May  retired  about 
1889  to  hold  a  responsible  position  in  the  Exchange 
Club,  corner  of  Batterymarch  and  Milk  Streets,  where  he 
is  at  the  present  time,  and  the  remaining  partners  con- 
tinued under  the  name  of  Nash,  Winslow  &  Co.  On 
account  of  impaired  health,  Mr.  Andrew  R.  Winslow 
gave  up  business  entirely  in  1901,  when  the  concern  was 


58  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

incorporated  under  the  style  of  E.  W.  Nash  Co.,  Mr. 
E.  W.  Nash  being  President. 

Mr.  Nash,  who  was  an  able,  energetic  man,  died  in 
September,  1904,  in  his  sixty-first  year,  and  his  brother, 
Frank  King  Nash  —  whose  wife  is  a  daughter  of  Franklin 
King  —  became  President  and  Treasurer.  He,  with 
S.  G.  Warren  (who  had  been  Boston  manager  for  the 
Chilton  Mfg.  Co.,  located  in  1892  at  100  Pearl  Street, 
and  is  present  manager  and  Assistant  Treasurer  of  the 
Nash  Company),  and  Mr.  B.  H.  Gifford,  Secretary,  and 
Mr.  Edward  B.  Slocum,  constitute  the  Board  of  Directors. 
They  are  now  located  at  559  Atlantic  Avenue.  Mr. 
Winslow  is  living  quietly,  yet  in  affluence,  at  the  Hotel 
Vendome,  and  does  many  acts  of  unostentatious  benevo- 
lence. 

The  firm  of  Wood  Bros,  was  formed  in  1877,  composed 
of  John  and  Edward  E.  Wood,  Jr.,  and  they  first  located 
on  Portland  Street,  near  where  B.  A.  Doherty  is  now 
located,  but  soon  after  removed  to  12  Sudbury  Street, 
corner  of  Friend  Street.  They  retired  in  1904,  selling 
the  business  to  Richardson  &  Brackett,  who  conducted 
it  successfully  until  1913,  when  the  partnership  was 
dissolved,  Mr.  Richardson  disposing  of  his  interest  to 
Mr.  Brackett  and  allying  himself  with  Gould  &  Cutler, 
Corporation,  as  Assistant  Treasurer.  Mr.  Brackett  later 
disposed  of  the  business  to  the  New  England  Oil,  Paint 
&  Varnish  Co.,  and  is  now  manager  of  their  Boston  store, 
at  the  corner  of  Sudbury  and  Friend  Streets. 

In  the  revision  of  this  sketch,  I  learn  today,  June  18, 
of  the  death  of  Mr.  John  Wood,  who  was  elected  an 
honorary  member  of  the  Club  on  his  retirement  from 
business. 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES         59 

The  New  England  Oil,  Paint  &  Varnish  Co.  was  an 
indirect  outgrowth  of  the  New  England  Paint  Co.,  which 
really  went  out  of  existence  some  fifteen  years  ago, 
when  the  business  was  bought  by  Briggs,  Hoffman  & 
Co.  The  New  England  Paint  Co.  was  an  outcome  of 
one  of  the  departments  of  Henry  Wood's  Sons  Co.  and 
was  intended  to  do  the  grinding  and  jobbing  business 
of  the  last  named  concern.  This  was  in  1891,  and  origin- 
ally their  grinding  was  done  at  451  Atlantic  Avenue, 
but  later  was  moved  out  of  town,  with  a  distributing 
store  on  Portland  Street.  The  business  was  managed 
by  Louis  F.  H.  Wood  and  Dr.  Sibley  of  Arlington,  and 
E.  W.  Cooper  was  Superintendent  of  the  mills.  The 
business  was  not  entirely  successful  and  was,  a  few  years 
later,  sold  to  Briggs,  Hoffman  &  Co.,  who  again  fitted  up 
the  original  factory  on  Atlantic  Avenue,  where  they 
were  located  for  several  years.  Mr.  A.  K.  Woodward 
was  connected  with  the  concern  when  it  was  bought  out 
by  Briggs,  Hoffman  &  Co.,  and  Mr.  Cooper  has  since 
connected  himself  with  John  Briggs  &  Co.,  as  stated 
elsewhere.  The  officers  of  the  present  New  England 
Oil,  Paint  &  Varnish  Co.,  are  L.  A.  Merrow,  President; 
A.  K.  Woodward  and  A.  H.'Avery,  Vice-Presidents; 
Fred  A.  Silva,  Jr.,  Treasurer;  and  M.  S.  Ryder,  Secre- 
tary. This  Corporation  is  very  closely  allied  to  the  Bur- 
bank  &  Ryder  Varnish  Co.,  and  the  Hoffman  Paint  & 
Varnish  Co.,  and  is  possibly  what  might  be  classed 
as  a  holding  company  —  Mr.  Merrow  being  President 
of  these  two  other  concerns.  Colonel  Merrow  has  out- 
side interests,  both  business  and  political,  and  has  served 
on  the  Governor's  Council  in  New  Hampshire,  where 
his  interests  are  large. 


60  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

Samuel  Cabot,  Jr.,  started  in  the  manufacture  of  blacks, 
colors,  stains,  etc.,  in  1887,  and  he  died  in  1906.  The 
business  now  conducted  at  141  Milk  Street  was  made 
into  a  Corporation  not  long  after  Mr.  Cabot's  death, 
under  the  name  of  Samuel  Cabot,  Inc.,  Samuel  Cabot, 
the  younger,  being  President;  H.  B.  Cabot,  Treasurer; 
and  March  G.  Bennett,  General  Manager,  the  latter 
having  been  connected  with  the  concern  for  twenty-five 
years.  The  business  has  assumed  large  proportions 
and  Cabot's  Shingle  Stains  are  well  known  all  over  the 
United  States. 

Seaver  &  Co.,  large  manufacturers  of  dry  blacks,  with 
present  offices  at  120  Milk  Street,  were  located  in  Boston, 
in  1893,  then*  factory  being  in  Chelsea.  Mr.  Charles  H. 
Leland  of  this  firm  died  in  January,  1914. 

Barrett  Mfg.  Co.,  very  large  producers  of  coal  tar 
products,  roofing  material,  paints,  etc.,  have  had  Boston 
connections  for  some  time,  their  present  store  being 
at  35  Wendell  Street. 

The  Standard  Paint  Co.,  manufacturers  of  roofing 
materials  and  structural  paints,  with  main  office  in  New 
York  City,  100  William  Street,  has  had  an  office  in  Boston 
for  several  years,  first  in  the  Mason  Building  on  Milk 
Street,  and  now  at  6  Beacon  Street.  Mr.  Frank  P. 
Cheesman,  New  York,  Secretary  of  the  National  Paint, 
Oil  &  Varnish  Association,  is  a  leading  official  of  this 
Company. 

J.  A.  Jones  &  Co.  began  the  manufacture  of  paints  at 
36  Batterymarch  Street  in  1884,  and  the  next  year  they 
removed  to  35  Portland  Street,  Mr.  N.  D.  Freeman 
connecting  himself  with  the  firm.  In  February,  1890, 
the  business  was  bought  by  James  H.  Prince,  who  had 


EDWARD  STANLEY  CHARLES  H.  SEAWARD 

WILLIAM  G.  SOULE 
JOHN  H.  MEANS  GEORGE  C.  THACHER 


PAINT,  OIL,  VAKNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES         61 

been  agent  and  part  proprietor  of  the  Eckstein  White 
Lead  Co.  before  it  was  sold  to  the  National  Lead  Co. 
He  later  became  manager  of  the  Salem  Lead  Co.,  one 
of  the  subsidiary  concerns  of  the  National  Co.,  and  which 
also  handled  the  Eckstein  products.  In  connection 
with  Messrs.  Stanley,  Seaward  &  Johnson,  he  carried  on 
the  paint  business  as  a  corporation  in  the  name  of  James 
H.  Prince  Paint  Co.,  at  150  Portland  Street  and  159 
Milk  Street,  and  of  late  years  they  have  been  located 
on  Lancaster  Street. 

Mr.  Prince  retired  entirely  from  the  concern  Novem- 
ber 26,  1901,  and  he  died  September  23,  1911,  in  his 
eighty-first  year.  Mr.  Luther  N.  Johnson  died  January 
27  of  this  year.  The  present  officers  are  Edward  Stanley, 
President;  and  Charles  H.  Seaward,  Treasurer.  Mr. 
Jones,  after  leaving  the  paint  business  was  quite  successful 
in  connection  with  the  United  Fruit  Company. 

John  H.  Means  and  George  C.  Thacher  began,  under 
the  name  of  Means  &  Thacher,  the  manufacture  of  paints 
at  6  Custom  House  Street,  December  31,  1890,  succeeding 
Mr.  Means'  brother,  Robert  F.  Means,  who  had  done 
something  in  the  paint  line,  certainly  as  early  as  1879. 
He  was  bookkeeper  for  the  oil  firm  of  Dickerman, 
Barney  &  Co.  in  1863,  at  128  Milk  Street,  and  partner  in 
1864,  with  Benjamin  Dickerman,  Jr.,  and  G.  N.  Johnson, 
as  Benjamin  Dickerman,  Jr.,  &  Co.,  oil  dealers,  and  of 
the  oil  firm  of  Means,  Palmer  &  Co.,  at  the  same  place 
in  1866.  Mr.  Irving  S.  Palmer  of  that  firm  was  later 
very  prominent  in  the  hardwood  business,  as  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Palmer,  Parker  &  Co.  Mr.  Robert  F.  Means 
was  a  member  of  the  dry  goods  firm  of  Means  &  Bell  in 
South  Boston  in  1867,  and  the  next  year,  1868,  settled 


62  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

down  to  his  life's  work  as  a  ganger  and  inspector  of  oils, 
etc.,  at  6  Custom  House  Street,  which  he  followed  until 
his  death,  April  8,  1902,  a  period  of  thirty-four  years  all 
in  the  same  place.  His  brother,  John  H.  Means,  was 
connected  with  him  as  a  gauger  from  1872  to  the  time 
of  the  formation  of  the  firm  of  Means  &  Thacher. 

Mr.  Thacher  had  been  clerk  for  Capen,  Sprague  &  Co. 
at  8  Custom  House  Street,  oil  dealers,  prior  I  think,  to 
1884.  July  18,  1914,  Means  &  Thacher  were  incorpor- 
ated, with  officers:  John  H.  Means,  President;  George  C. 
Thacher,  Treasurer;  and  John  H.  Means,  Jr.,  Secretary 
and  Vice-President.  They  have  always  been  located  on 
Custom  House  Street,  but  contemplate  moving  to  a  new 
factory  now  being  erected  in  Norfolk  Downs,  Quincy. 

Benjamin  A.  Doherty  entered  the  paint  business  as 
a  clerk  for  W.  Bowman  Cutter  in  1883.  Later  he  was 
with  A.  A.  White  &  Co.,  and  also  R.  P.  Hoagland,  and 
began  business  for  himself  in  1901  at  76  Portland  Street, 
where  he  is  at  the  present  time. 

Gordon-Hittl  Co.  are  located  at  85  Purchase  Street, 
Mr.  Hector  M.  Gordon,  President,  having  been  connected 
with  Sherwin-Williams  Co.  and  also  manager  for  Harrison 
Bros.  &  Co.  in  Boston  and  New  York,  and  also  for  a 
year  or  two  was  sales  manager  for  Wadsworth-Howland 
&  Co.  Mr.  Anton  P.  Hittl,  Treasurer,  had  been  with 
Sherwin-Williams  &  Co.  since  1897,  and  later  with 
Harrison  Bros.  &  Co. 

Crowell  Brother  &  Co.  started  in  the  paint  business 
in  1865  at  61  Union  Street,  succeeding  J.  P.  Whitney  & 
Co.  In  1869  they  moved  to  92  Sudbury  Street  and  sold 
out  to  A.  A.  White  and  I.  H.  Wiley  about  1880,  under 
the  name  of  White  &  Wiley,  both  of  these  gentlemen 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES        63 

having  been  clerks  for  Wadsworth  Bros.  &  Rowland  for 
a  few  years  previous.  Mr.  B.  J.  Richardson  was  the 
year  following  admitted  partner  and  the  business  con- 
tinued under  the  name  of  White,  Wiley  &  Co.  until 
1883,  when  Mr.  White  retired,  the  remaining  partners 
continuing  as  Wiley  &  Richardson. 

Mr.  Richardson  not  long  after  left  the  firm,  about 
1885,  to  run  the  varnish  business  himself  at  a  factory  in 
East  Everett,  and  he  had  an  office  at  140  Congress 
Street  in  1889,  but  it  was  removed  to  factory  in  1896. 
Mr.  Wiley  continued  the  business  as  I.  H.  Wiley  &  Co., 
and  later  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  I.  H.  Wiley 
Waxene  Co.,  making  a  specialty  of  Wiley's  Waxene,  and 
they  have  been  located  for  some  time  on  Portland  Street. 
Mr.  Wiley  was  President  of  the  Common  Council  in 
Somerville  about  fifteen  years  ago. 

Mr.  White  started  in  business  on  his  own  account  in 
1883,  at  56  Sudbury  Street,  and  moved  in  1889  to  91 
Union  Street,  and  later  to  87  Union  Street,  when  his 
brother,  Samuel  White,  went  in  as  salesman  but  not  a 
partner,  the  firm  name  being  A.  A.  White  &  Co.  Later, 
about  1895,  they  moved  to  Sudbury  Street,  corner  of 
Portland  Street.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  A.  A.  White, 
December  4,  1909,  the  business  was  conducted  for  a 
time  by  Samuel  White  and  other  executors,  and  later 
was  sold  to  George  D.  Wetherill  &  Co.  of  Philadelphia, 
who  conducted  it,  with  C.  H.  Dahl  as  manager,  at  the 
same  place  and  under  the  old  name,  until  January  of 
this  year,  when  the  corporate  name  was  changed  to 
George  D.  Wetherill  &  Co.,  Inc.,  of  Mass.  Mr.  Samuel 
White  died  January  8,  1912. 

In  1867  Bragdon-Hazard   &  Co.  were  located    at  8 


64  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

India  Street,  and  two  years  later  in  the  same  place  the 
firm  name  was  Bragdon,  Tavener  &  Co.,  Mr.  Tavener 
having  been  the  junior  partner  -in  the  other  concern. 
In  1874  it  was  Bragdon,  Guernsey  &  Co.,  at  8  India 
Street.  Mr.  Joseph  H.  Bragdon  succeeded  to  the  business 
in  1876,  carrying  it  on  at  71  Sudbury  Street,  and  not 
long  after  went  out  of  business. 

In  1881  Mr.  Anthony  Wayne  Strauss  opened  a  store 
at  153  Congress  Street  under  the  name  of  A.  W.  Strauss 
&  Co.,  and  later,  January  1,  1894,  it  was  incorporated 
under  the  name  of  A.  W.  Strauss  Paint  &  Varnish  Co., 
moving  to  Franklin  Street,  January,  1898.  Mr.  Strauss 
had  begun  in  1870  in  the  varnish  business  as  a  salesman 
for  Julius  Cohn  &  Co.,  and  later,  in  1872,  for  C.  C.  Reed 
&  Co.  Despite  numerous  predictions  to  the  contrary, 
he  made  a  good  success  in  his  business,  retiring  in  a 
comparatively  short  time,  with  a  handsome  competency, 
January  1,  1903,  when  the  business  was  sold  out  to  Gould 
&  Cutler,  Corporation. 

Mr.  Strauss  lives  in  one  of  his  large  apartment  houses 
on  Massachusetts  Avenue  in  Cambridge,  and  occupies 
his  time  in  care  of  his  properties  and  in  extended  travels, 
interesting  accounts  of  which,  with  stereoptican  views, 
he  has  frequently  given  with  much  success.  He  is 
always  interested  in  public  affairs  besides  being  helpful 
to  others,  not  only  hi  aids  to  education  and  in  prac- 
tical ways  but  in  rides  years  ago  behind  his  famous 
horses  or  later  hi  his  automobiles. 

C.  W.  Trainer  was  in  Boston  at  150  Oliver  Street,  in 
1879,  as  C.  W.  Trainer  &  Co.,  ten  years  later  at  44  Oliver 
Street  —  and  were  for  many  years,  selling  agents  for 
the  H.  W.  Johns  Co.,  manufacturers  of  Johns'  Asbestos 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       65 

Paints.  In  1893  they  were  at  119  Federal  Street.  Of 
late  years  the  business  has  been  done  by  the  H.  W. 
Johns-Man ville  Co.,  now  located  at  55  High  Street,  with 
Mr.  Trainer  as  Boston  manager. 

Henry  H.  Green  did  business  for  many  years  in  paints 
and  hardware  at  941  Washington  Street,  beginning  in 
1879.  He  later  sold  out  his  business  and  it  is  now  con- 
ducted at  the  same  place  by  Harmon,  Wastcoat-Dahl 
Co.,  who  have  interests  in  other  stores  in  Boston  and 
vicinity.  The  business  is  under  the  direct  management 
of  Mr.  R.  W.  Wastcoat.  Mr.  Harmon  is  also  Treasurer 
of  Henry  Wood's  Son  Co.,  and  Mr.  Dahl  has  been  con- 
nected with  George  D.  Wetherill  &  Co.  since  the  death 
of  Mr.  A.  A.  White,  but  retired  in  June,  1914.  Mr. 
Green  is  still  living  and  carries  on  successfully  the 
business  of  storage  warehouse. 

In  1879  Mr.  W.  Bowman  Cutter  began  business  in 
paints  and  hardware  in  Roxbury,  and  the  business  is 
conducted  by  his  son,  George  0.  Cutter,  under  the  same 
name  at  the  present  time,  although  Mr.  W.  Bowman 
Cutter  died  several  years  ago. 

The  Government  Waterproof  Paint  Co.  was  established 
in  1887,  I  think  by  a  man  named  Campbell,  who  retired 
in  a  year  or  two.  In  1891  they  were  at  59  Broad  Street 
and  122  Milk  Street,  and  in  1893  at  164  High  Street. 
In  1901  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Waterproof  Paint 
Co.  They  have  no  store  in  Boston  but  do  business  at 
the  factory  in  Watertown,  Mr.  Albert  C.  Fairbanks  being 
President,  and  John  J.  Meehan,  Treasurer  and  General 
Manager. 

F.  0.  Pierce  Co.  of  New  York  had  a  store  in  Boston 
at  16  Washington  Street,  going  back  to  Union  Street, 


66  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

and  in  1897-98  it  was  managed  by  Alonzo  B.  Gushing 
who  had  been  several  years  with  J.  A.  &  W.  Bird  &  Co. 
In  1899  he  took  the  business  and  was  a  jobber  of  paints 
at  the  same  location,  but  after  a  year  or  two  the  business 
was  closed  out,  as  it  was  not  a  success. 

Charles  H.  Oilman  in  1881  was  a  manufacturer  of 
colors  in  East  Boston,  and  still  carries  on  the  business  at 
103  Merrimac  Street,  where  he  removed  in  1892. 

In  1905  or  1906  Decatur-Hopkins  Co.,  large  and 
successful  jobbers  of  hardware  at  124  High  Street, 
corner  of  Pearl,  began  the  jobbing  of  paints  and  varnishes, 
which  certainly  was  an  innovation  —  for  it  has  not  in 
late  years  in  such  combination  been  done  here  success- 
fully as  a  rule,  and  its  outcome  will  be  watched  with 
interest. 

R.  Federman  has  been  a  successful  paint  and  wall- 
paper dealer  since  1889,  when  he  established  himself  at 
112  Stamford  Street  and  is  there  at  the  present  time. 
He  began  the  manufacture  of  paints  in  1908  under  the 
name  of  Standard  Paint  &  Color  Works  —  factory 
being  located  at  40  New  Street,  East  Boston. 


I  will  briefly  allude  to  some  people  who  carried  on  the 
paint  and  oil  business  under  different  styles  (and  who 
will  be  remembered  by  our  older  members),  some  of 
whom  have  not  been  represented  here  for  many  years. 
Many  have  died,  while  a  few  are  still  with  us. 

B.  M.  Clark  &  Co.  were  ship  painters  in  1840  at  the 
North  End,  and  in  1863  occupied  the  building,  71  Broad 
Street,  as  manufacturers  of  putty,  colors,  etc.,  the  other 
original  partners  being  James  Clark,  John  Brown,  and 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       67 

Maurice  M.  Piggott.  They  formerly  boiled  oil  in  that 
place  and  all  of  the  trade  knew  them  as  manufacturers 
of  Zinc  Drier,  which  was  one  of  the  accessories  of  the 
famous  "Bung  Hole  Boiling"  in  those  days.  The 
business  was  succeeded  by  M.  M.  Piggott  &  Son,  the 
latter,  M.  M.  Piggott,  Jr.,  having  been  temporary  secre- 
tary of  the  primary  meeting  of  subscribers  to  the  call 
for  the  Paint  and  Oil  Club,  dated  thirty  years  ago,  or 
February  14,  1884.  He  is  still  living  in  Chelsea,  I  think. 
This  concern  went  out  of  business  about  1898.  Mr. 
Piggott,  Sr.,  died  at  his  home  in  Chelsea,  July  14,  1890, 
aged  seventy-five  years,  having  been  fifty  years  in  the 
business. 

Many  of  us  will  recall  J.  Edward  Hazeltine,  who  died 
while  in  active  business  of  selling  neatsfoot  oil,  etc., 
some  six  or  eight  years  ago.  He  started  in  the  oil  and 
paint  business  in  1856  under  the  name  of  Hazeltine, 
Hill  &  Co.,  at  6  India  Street. 

In  1847  and  1848  Hayward  &  Hamilton  were  whole- 
salers of  paints,  oils  and  drugs,  at  28  India  Street, 
but  they  do  not  seem  to  have  been  very  long  in  the 
business. 

Sixty-five  years  ago  and  more,  Thayer  Rice  &  Co. 
were  selling  paints  and  drugs  at  32  India  Street  and  I 
think  they  were  later  commission  merchants,  as  Thayer, 
Brigham  &  Co.  Mr.  Charles  L.  Thayer  of  that  firm 
was  President  of  the  old  National  City  Bank,  and  he  died 
June  5,  1884. 

At  that  same  time,  about  1855,  Horton  &  Darling  were 
engaged  in  the  same  business  at  16  India  Street.  Mr. 
W.  R.  Horton  of  that  firm  was  of  Edward  Brinley  &  Co. 
in  1847,  and  from  1859  to  1868  he  was  a  broker  at  11 


68  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

Custom  House  Street,  and  from  1868  to  1871  was  in 
the  patent  sponge  business. 

In  1850  William  F.  Crocker  and  J.  F.  Bell  were  paint 
dealers  as  Crocker  &  Bell  at  53  Blackstone  Street,  and 
in  1852  it  was  Crocker  &  Adams.  The  next  year  saw 
the  name  of  Crocker  &  Co.  at  9  Charlestown  Street, 
and  in  1854  it  was  Crocker,  Adams  &  Co.,  followed 
the  next  year  as  Crocker  &  Co.,  at  the  same  place.  In 
1856  the  firm  of  Crocker  &  Co.  was  still  in  business  at 
9  Charlestown  Street,  with  George  L.  Snelling  as  the 
junior  partner.  Mr.  William  H.  Crocker  was  probably 
a  brother  of  Mathias  Crocker,  as  he  later  was  connected 
with  the  latter  and  Nathan  Crocker,  another  brother, 
at  38  and  34  India  Street,  until  1860. 

Moses  T.  Davis  &  Co.  were  in  business  of  selling  paints 
and  drugs  at  50  Chatham  Street  for  a  few  years  only, 
beginning  in  1854. 

Thomas  D.  Morris  was  in  business  of  manufacturing 
paints  as  early  as  1853,  at  18  School  Street.  In  1866 
he  was  at  64  Congress  Street  and  in  1868  at  143  Broad 
Street.  I  think  Mr.  Morris  was  one  of  the  very  first 
to  make  and  sell  colored  paints.  He  called  his  the 
Morris  Tinted  Paint  and  they  were  sold  in  paste  form, 
and  recommended  in  1868,  "after  fifteen  years  trial,  having 
been  first  tried  out  in  1853."  He  was  later  located 
near  Haymarket  Square,  on  Haverhill  Street,  and  I 
can  plainly  recall  the  tall,  large  framed,  old  gentleman, 
decidedly  Scotch  in  every  way. 

Frothingham,  Fisher  &  Co.  were  paint  dealers  at  150 
State  Street  in  1859  and  in  the  early  sixties.  Mr. 
James  K.  Frothingham,  Jr.,  of  that  firm  had  been  for 


PAINT,  OIL,  VAKNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES        69 

several  years  a  junior  partner  of  James  M.  Whittier, 
in  Whittier,  Dunbar  &  Co.,  4  Long  Wharf. 

Rogers,  Dyer  &  Co.,  composed  of  Charles  F.  Rogers, 
Charles  W.  Dyer,  and  Spencer  Holmes,  were  in  the 
varnish  and  paint  business  at  26  Broad  Street  in  1869. 

Charles  S.  Burgess  conducted  a  paint  business  in  1864 
at  21  Broad  Street,  and  in  1867  E.  H.  Brainerd  was 
his  partner;  succeeded  two  years  later  by  Brainerd, 
Baker  &  Burgess,  22  Broad  Street.  Three  years  later 
Mr.  Brainerd  retired  —  the  firm  name  being  Baker  & 
Burgess,  and  in  1877  it  was  -John  H.  Baker  alone,  at 
24  India  Street  —  C.  A.  Burgess  &  Co.  carrying  on  the 
business  at  165  Milk  Street,  in  the  same  year.  In  1882 
E.  H.  Brainerd  conducted  a  business  at  24  India  Street, 
but  soon  after  retired. 

In  1865  or  1866  John  W.  Hunt,  who  had  been  con- 
nected with  Henry  Wood's  Sons  Co.,  started  a  store 
at  63  Broad  Street,  and  in  1868  the  business  was  'bought 
by  Folsom,  Oilman  &  Pope.  Two  years  later  the  style 
was  Oilman,  Pope  &  Co.,  and  in  1874  Oilman,  Foque 
&  Snow.  Two  years  later  it  was  Oilman,  Foque  &  Co., 
and  in  1878  it  was  S.  A.  Oilman  &  Co.,  and  the  business 
was  closed  out  not  long  afterwards.  Theodore  N.  Foque 
of  the  foregoing  firms  was  afterwards  Collector  and  Treas- 
urer of  the  City  of  Maiden  until  his  death. 

In  1884  Charles  L.  Andrews  was  quite  a  factor  in 
imported  colors,  including  those  of  David  Storer  & 
Sons,  Glasgow,  and  Mr.  Paul  Dean  was  then  his  repre- 
sentative. Mr.  Dean,  with  slight  interruption  has 
been  ever  since  closely  connected  with  the  paint  and 
varnish  business,  and  is  at  present  a  commission  mer- 


70  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

chant  and  also  Boston  agent  for  Rogers-Pyatt  Shellac 
Co.,  with  office  at  70  Kilby  Street. 

Mr.  Andrews  had  business  relations  with  Hobbs,  Pope 
&  Co.,  color  and  gum  importers,  who  were  known  to 
all  of  the  older  members  hi  the  seventies  and  eighties, 
and  they  will  recall  in  later  years  Mr.  James  W.  Hobbs 
and  his  cheery  presence  and  shrewd  business  dealings,  but 
always  square.  Mr.  William  Pope  and  his  son,  Mr.  W. 
Carroll  Pope,  were  both  favorably  known  to  the  trade, 
but  all  of  these  gentlemen  of  the  Hobbs-Pope  firm  have 
passed  to  the  great  Hereafter. 

George  Hollister  will  be  recalled  as  a  courtly,  fine  old 
gentleman,  who  had  the  sale  for  New  England  of 
Johnston's  Kalsomine,  and  he  was  quite  prominent  from 
1879  to  1891,  but  the  Johnston  business  went  all  to 
pieces.  His  last  locations  were  at  152  Franklin  Street 
and  17  India  Square. 

William  A.  Holmes  was  in  the  paint  and  oil  business 
at  7  India  Street  hi  1887,  and  two  years  later  the  New 
England  Paint  &  Oil  Co.  seems  to  have  been  established 
hi  that  place. 

Taylor,  Randall  &  Co.  were  paint  dealers  at  23  Central 
Wharf  in  the  early  seventies,  but  they  were  unsuccessful, 
as  was  also  the  firm  of  F.  W.  Todd  &  Co.,  also  on  Central 
Wharf,  in  existence  more  than  thirty  years  ago. 
***** 

John  Lucas  &  Co.,  large  paint  manufacturers  of  Phila- 
delphia, with  factories  at  Gibbsboro,  N.  J.,  and  branches 
in  other  large  cities,  have  a  store  in  Boston,  73  Sudbury 
Street.  William  M.  Zintl  has  been  the  Boston  Manager 
for  the  last  two  years  but  is  about  to  be  promoted  to  take 
charge  of  the  Advertising  and  Publicity  Department,  with 


PAINT,  OIL,  VAKNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       71 

headquarters  in  Philadelphia,  and  will  be  succeeded  here 
by  George  Trigg. 

Originally  in  Boston  about  1906  or  1907,  the  business 
was  under  the  name  of  the  Union  Paint  &  Varnish  Co. 
of  Providence,  which  was  owned  or  controlled  by  John 
Lucas  &  Co.,  but  of  late  years,  they  have  done  business 
here  under  their  own  name.  One  of  my  earliest  and  best 
acquaintances  in  the  paint  business  outside  of  Boston, 
made  in  1872,  was  Mr.  Fred  G.  Eliot  of  Philadelphia, 
who  was  efficient  manager  of  John  Lucas  &  Co.  for  so 
many  years  until  his  death  some  ten  or  twelve  years  ago. 

C.  K.  Williams  &  Co.,  large  color  manufacturers  and 
miners  of  Easton,  Penn.,  had  an  office  in  Boston  at  38 
Central  Wharf  as  early  as  1896.  At  present  they  are 
represented  in  Boston  by  Clarence  E.  Gale. 

N.  Z.  Graves  &  Co.,  Inc.,  of  Philadelphia,  manufacturers 
of  white  lead,  paints,  and  varnishes,  have  had  a  store  in 
Boston  for  several  years,  at  present  being  at  131 
Pearl  Street. 

The  Bridgeport  Wood  Finishing  Co.,  whose  factory 
is  in  Still  River,  Conn.,  has  had  stores  and  offices  in 
Boston  at  several  locations  and  there  have  been  several 
managers.  Their  present  store  is  located  at  14  Portland 
Street,  and  they  are  doing  a  successful  business  under 
the  management  of  William  R.  Platt.  They  make 
specialties  of  stains  and  fillers,  and  Wheeler's  Wood  Filler 
is  known  all  over  the  country.  Many  of  us  will  recall 
Mr.  0.  H.  Fersenheim,  who  represented  this  Company 
in  Boston  for  many  years,  after  1879.  He  is  now  with 
the  same  company,  with  headquarters  in  Buffalo. 

Heller  &  Merz,  large  manufacturers  of  ultramarine 
blues,  etc.,  have  been  represented  in  Boston  for  many 


72  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

years,  first  by  Frank  W.  Atwood,  and  latterly  by  George 
D.  Smith.  Mr.  Atwood,  at  216  Milk  Street,  now  repre- 
sents J.  Lee  Smith  &  Co.,  color  importers  of  New  York, 
besides  being  a  commission  merchant  in  chemicals.  He 
is  at  present  President  of  the  New  England  Drysalters 
Club. 

The  Colonial  Works  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  were  in  Boston 
at  200  Summer  Street  in  1904,  and  probably  before, 
and  now  have  a  store  at  75  Pearl  Street,  Mr.  H.  S.  Maguire 
being  their  representative. 

Lowe  Bros.  Co.,  large  paint  manufacturers  of  Dayton, 
Ohio,  have  a  storehouse  at  21  and  25  Farnsworth  Street, 
in  South  Boston,  George  L.  Paine  being  New  England 
manager. 

F.  W.  Devoe  &  C.  T.  Raynolds  Co.  of  New  York, 
probably  the  oldest  of  the  large  paint  manufacturers 
in  the  United  States,  have  only  a  storehouse  in  Boston, 
with  no  office  manager,  Mr.  Frank  H.  Connor  being  selling 
representative.  My  earliest  recollections  of  this  concern 
are  connected  with  Mr.  R.  P.  Rowe,  who  so  ably  repre- 
sented them  in  Boston,  about  thirty  to  forty  years  ago. 
He  left  to  go  into  the  white  lead  business  with  the  Brook- 
lyn White  Lead  Co.,  later  bought  by  the  National  Lead 
Trust.  He  is  now  very  active  and  influential  as  Vice- 
President  and  Director  in  the  National  Lead  Co.,  and 
probably  the  most  widely  known,  the  most  respected,  and 
in  my  opinion  the  ablest  man  in  the  white  lead  business 
in  this  country. 

Mr.  Rowe  (whose  predecessor  was  John  Bayley,  whom 
many  of  us  will  remember)  was  succeeded  by  Howard  L. 
Waldo,  who  was  afterwards  an  important  factor  in  con- 
nection with  imported  aniline  colors,  and  whose  death 


PAINT,  OIL,  VAENISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       73 

occurred  during  the  past  year.  General  Edward  L. 
Molineaux,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  and  prominent  in 
affairs  of  New  York  State,  has  been  a  member  of  this 
concern  and  its  predecessor,  C.  T.  Raynolds  &  Co.,  for 
very  many  years,  and  is  known  to  many  of  us,  being  an 
honorary  member  of  our  Club.  J.  Seaver  Page,  who  has 
for  many  years  been  a  prominent  member  of  this 
Corporation,  was  a  frequent  visitor  to  Boston  and  is 
an  honorary  member  of  the  Paint  and  Oil  Club. 

Sherwin-Williams  Co.  of  Cleveland,  Chicago  and  New- 
ark (and  also  Canada),  the  largest  paint  manufacturers 
probably  in  the  world,  established  a  store  here  prior  to 
1889  at  154  Pearl  Street,  and  have  been  in  several  loca- 
tions, including  182  Purchase  Street  and  14  Portland 
Street,  and  today  are  located  at  11  Stillings  Street,  South 
Boston.  The  present  Boston  manager  is  B.  B.  Cannon, 
and  from  that  warehouse  they  do  an  extensive  distributing 
business  all  over  New  England  and  Canada. 

Billings-King  &  Co.  were  doing  business  in  Boston 
twenty  years  ago,  having  a  store  for  the  sale  of  their 
paints,  manufactured  in  Cleveland.  The  store  has 
been  continued  in  various  localities  and  the  business  is 
now  conducted  under  the  name  of  Billings-Chapin  Co., 
at  146  High  Street,  J.  Murray  Bacon  being  President, 
and  Mr.  F.  R.  Burnham  the  manager. 

U.  S.  Gutta  Percha  Paint  Co.  of  Providence,  R.  I., 
are  large  and  successful  manufacturers  of  paints,  making 
a  specialty  of  supplying  mills  and  other  factories.  They 
have  a  Boston  office  at  184  Summer  Street.  The  Presi- 
dent and  Manager  is  Herbert  W.  Rice,  son  of  J.  William 
Rice,  so  well  and  favorably  known  to  most  of  us  and 
who  died  five  or  six  years  ago. 


74  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

Heath  &  Milligan  Mfg.  Co.,  headquarters  in  Chicago, 
had  a  store  here  and  did  a  large  business  for  many  years 
but  finally  gave  it  up.  They  have  a  storehouse  at  14 
Medford  Street,  under  the  management  of  W.  H.  Roberts, 
for  New  England  distribution  but  some  of  their  special- 
ties, I  think,  are  handled  by  the  National  Lead  Co., 
which  controls  the  concern. 

John  W.  Masury  &  Son  of  New  York,  a  very  large 
house  and  the  first  to  manufacture  colors  in  Japan  for 
the  Trade,  and  whose  goods  have  always  had  an  enviable 
reputation,  have  never  had  any  warehouse  or  office  in 
Boston,  their  products  having  been  handled  originally 
by  Wadsworth-Howland  &  Co.,  before  they  began 
manufacturing  for  themselves,  and  later  by  E.  W. 
Nash  Co. 

Benjamin  Moore  &  Co.,  Brooklyn,  New  York,  Chicago, 
Cleveland,  and  Carteret,  N.  J.,  and  Toronto,  Canada, 
now  one  of  the  largest  paint  and  varnish  manufacturing 
concerns  in  the  United  States,  also  have  never  had  any 
warehouse  or  office  in  Boston,  their  goods  being  handled 
by  Gould  &  Cutler,  Inc.,  Mr.  Gould  being  one  of  the 
original  charter  members  of  Benjamin  Moore  &  Co., 
and  a  director  since  its  incorporation,  twenty-five  years 
ago  —  the  other  Directors  having  been  Benjamin  Moore, 
President;  Robert  M.  Moore,  Vice-President;  William 
P.  Talbot,  Treasurer;  and  Charles  H.  Bergmann,  Sec- 
retary. All  of  these  parties  are  now  living  and  hold 
the  same  offices,  excepting  Mr.  Robert  M.  Moore  (brother 
of  Benjamin  Moore),  who  died  about  twelve  years  ago. 
The  office  is  now  filled  by  his  son,  L.  Pearne  Moore, 
who  is  also  manager  of  the  Chicago  office. 


75 


Mr.  Benjamin  Moore  was  the  inventor  of  "Muresco," 
which  was  an  innovation  in  the  wall  finish  line,  some 
twenty-three  years  ago,  and  which  has  proved  to  be  such 
a  great  success.  Mr.  Moore  by  his  striking  personality, 
his  indomitable  energy  and  ability,  and  above  all,  his 
straightforwardness  of  character,  has  impressed  himself 
upon  all  as  one  of  the  strongest  men  in  the  business,  as 
well  as  one  of  the  most  successful.  Mr.  Richard  Moore, 
President  of  Becker-Moore  Paint  Co.,  St.  Louis,  is  a 
brother  of  Mr.  Benjamin  Moore. 

Harrison  Bros.  &  Co.,  Inc.,  of  Philadelphia,  established 
in  1793  by  John  Harrison,  are  large  manufacturers  of 
chemicals,  paints,  and  white  lead,  with  very  extensive 
works  at  Grays  Ferry,  just  outside  Philadelphia.  They 
have  been  represented  at  times  in  Boston  by  E.  &  F. 
King  &  Co.,  by  Howe  &  French  in  1893,  by  C.  P.  Seaverns 
in  1901  at  72  Broad  Street.  For  several  years  they  had 
a  store  on  Pearl  Street,  from  about  1903.  Mr.  Hector 
M.  Gordon  was  Boston  manager  until  the  removal  of 
the  Boston  business  to  New  York,  where  the  joint  busi- 
ness was  continued  until  about  1910,  under  Mr.  Gordon's 
management. 

The  Averill  Paint  Co.  was  established  here  for  several 
years,  beginning  in  1871,  and  for  several  years  was  at 
94  Pearl  Street,  as  late  as  1886  or  1887,  and  later  carried 
on  by  L.  Hatfield  &  Son.  Mr.  Charles  F.  Hatfield  was 
Secretary  of  the  Paint  and  Oil  Club  in  1895,  when  he  was 
Treasurer  of  the  Old  Colony  Paint  Co.,  at  14  Portland 
Street.  He  had  previously  been  manager  of  the  Boston 
store  of  Sherwin-Williams  Co.  in  1875,  Seeley  Bros,  in 
1883,  and  a  few  years  thereafter  at  94  Pearl  Street,  and 
the  Taylor  Paint  &  Oil  Co.  in  1893,  all  but  Sherwin- 


76  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

Williams  Co.  being  out  of  business  at  the  present  time. 
Seeley  Bros,  were  at  117  High  Street  in  1891  and  1892. 

The  Averill  Chemical  Paint  was  one  of  the  first  ready- 
mixed  paints  put  on  the  market,  and  although  an  emul- 
sion paint,  it  certainly  had  good  wearing  properties. 

Carey-Ogden  Co.,  successors  to  Carey-Ogden  &  Parker 
of  Chicago,  had  a  store  here  in  1892,  but  they  did  not 
remain  very  long. 

The  Chilton  Mfg.  Co.  were  here  in  1893,  when  Mr. 
S.  G.  Warren  was  the  manager,  but  they  afterwards 
discontinued  their  Boston  store. 

Patterson-Sargent  Co.  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  who  make 
the  B.  P.  S.  paints,  had  a  store  on  Atlantic  Avenue  at 
one  tune,  but  it  was  given  up  several  years  ago. 

Toch  Bros,  of  New  York,  manufacturers  of  iron  struc- 
tural paints  and  other  specialties,  have  had  offices  and 
stores  in  Boston  and  I  think  are  now  represented  here 
at  120  Boylston  Street. 

I  really  wanted  to  refer  to  some  old  friends  of  mine 
belonging  to  New  York  firms,  with  whom  we  nearly 
all  have  had  transactions;  as  Myer  Sondheim,  now 
deceased,  formerly  with  A.  B.  Ansbacher  and  later  of 
Sondheim,  Alsberg  &  Co.,  who  visited  Boston  regularly, 
and  was  highly  regarded,  his  partner,  Mr.  Alsberg,  being 
father  of  Dr.  Alsberg,  the  present  Director  of  Bureau 
of  Chemical  Research  at  Washington,  who  succeeded 
Dr.  Wiley. 

Also,  their  associate  in  the  color  business,  Fred  L. 
Lavanburg,  of  Pfeiffer  &  Lavanburg,  who  later  manu- 
factured colors  in  his  own  name  and  of  late  years  has 
had  Arthur  S.  Somers  as  Sales  and  Office  Manager. 
Both  of  these  gentlemen  visit  Boston  now  and  are  popular 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES        77 

with  the  trade,  Mr.  Somers  having  been  President 
of  the  National  Paint,  Oil  &  Varnish  Association. 

Inasmuch,  however,  as  none  of  these  firms  have  ever 
had  stores  or  offices  or  resident  partners  in  Boston,  I 
presume  I  should  not  break  the  rule  I  set  for  myself. 

This  is  something  like  the  notice  sent  to  Rev.  Henry 
Ward  Beecher  of  Plymouth  Church.  He  said  that  he 
had  been  requested  to  read  a  notice  of  a  great  fair  to 
be  held  the  coming  week  at  the  Academy  of  Music  in 
aid  of  an  extremely  worthy  object,  which  he  named,  and 
while  he  hoped  there  would  be  a  large  outpouring  of 
people,  yet  as  the  rules  of  the  church  prohibited  the 
reading  of  such  notice,  he  was  obliged  to  conform  with 
the  rules  and  would  not  read  it. 

One  of  the  oldest  remembered  men  in  naval  stores 
was  Jeremiah  Kittredge,  who  was  in  business  on  Com- 
mercial Street  in  1846,  and  possibly  before.  In  1848 
Mr.  Kittredge  took  .in  as  partner  William  Sharp,  and 
the  next  year  J.  M.  Chandler.  In  1851  Hiram  A. 
Stevens,  who  had  married  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Kittredge, 
was  admitted,  the  style  being  J.  Kittredge  &  Co.  In 
1855  the  partners  were  H.  A.  Stevens,  J.  M.  Chandler, 
and  J.  P.  Jacques,  Mr.  Sharp  having  retired  and  Mr. 
Kittredge  having  died.  In  1862  the  firm  was  located 
at  65  Commercial  Street,  the  partners  being  Hiram  A. 
Stevens,  Moses  C.  Lang,  and  Daniel  A.  Gregory. 

Mr.  Gregory  retired  from  the  firm  about  1867  and  in 
1868  or  1869  was  of  Dickerman  &  Gregory  at  6  Commer- 
cial Street,  and  for  more  than  thirty  years,  or  until  his 
death,  was  a  merchandise  broker  with  office  at  one  time  at 
104  Water  Street.  He  was  very  active,  especially  in 


78  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

spirits  turpentine,  and  in  the  interest  of  C.  J.  Prince  &  Co. 
daily  visited  all  of  the  Boston  houses.  He  died  hi  summer 
of  1900,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  The  Kittredge 
firm  changed  its  name  in  1874  to  Stevens,  Lang  &  Co., 
but  went  out  of  business  in  1878,  Mr.  Stevens  being 
the  only  member  at  that  time. 

I  recently  read  a  curious  book,  prepared  in  1850,  en- 
titled: "The  Richest  People  in  Massachusetts,"  and  in 
the  list  of  1500  names,  I  noticed  those  of  Jeremiah  Kitt- 
redge, Edward  King,  and  Ira  Stratton,  brush  manufac- 
turer, who  will  be  referred  to  later.  All  of  these  were 
said  to  possess  $100,000  each,  and  the  reading  matter 
attached  to  the  names  was  very  quaint  and  sometimes 
almost  brutally  frank.  Especially  was  this  true  of  Mr. 
Stratton. 

There  were  other  firms  in  the  naval  stores  business 
but  probably  the  one  most  prominent  in  connection,  at 
least  with  spirits  turpentine,  was  that  of  C.  J.  Prince  & 
Co.  Mr.  Prince  started  in  business  alone,  as  nearly 
as  I  can  ascertain  in  1865  or  1866,  the  firm  name  in  1867 
being  Lootz  &  Prince,  at  36  India  Street.  In  1869 
Mr.  Lootz  removed  to  Buffalo  to  engage  in  the  petroleum 
business,  under  the  name  of  Lootz,  Holmes  &  Adams, 
the  Boston  end  being  managed  for  several  years  by  James 
Adams  (formerly  Treasurer  of  the  Oriental  Oil  Co.), 
at  32  Broad  Street,  certainly  from  about  1876  to  1881. 

Mr.  Prince  continued  the  business  under  the  name  of 
C.  J.  Prince  &  Co.,  from  1869  or  1870,  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  March  23,  1912.  Mr.  James  R.  Meany  was  his 
most  efficient  helper  and  is  probably  better  known  to 
the  trade  of  Boston,  through  his  daily  visits  in  the  interests 
of  spirits  turpentine,  than  any  other  man  in  the  business. 


*DANIEI.  A.  GREGORY  *CHARLES  J.  PRINCE 

JAMES  R.  MEANY 
*NATHANIEL  CLEAVES  *ROBERT  F.  MEANS 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES        79 

He  went  to  work  for  Mr.  Prince  December  4,  1876, 
at  32  India  Street.  In  1879  they  moved  to  2  Central 
Wharf,  and  in  1884  to  161  Milk  Street,  where  they  are 
at  present  located,  Mr.  Meany  since  the  death  of  Mr. 
Prince,  having  been  manager,  under  the  direction  of  the 
executors  and  trustees  of  Mr.  Prince's  estate. 

The  business  is  now  incorporated  as  a  Massachusetts 
Corporation,  as  C.  J.  Prince  Co.,  James  R.  Meany 
being  Secretary  and  General  Manager;  George  L.  Gould, 
President,  and  F.  M.  Holmes  (as  representative  of  the 
Old  Colony  Trust  Co.)  Treasurer  —  the  two  latter  being 
executors  and  trustees  of  Mr.  Prince's  estate. 

Henry  C.  Thatcher  was  quite  a  large  receiver  of  spirits 
turpentine  and  other  naval  stores  in  the  sixties  and 
seventies.  He  was  quite  a  prominent  Democrat  and 
was  candidate  for  Treasurer  on  the  State  ticket  of  that 
party  and  I  think  that  his  son,  Thomas  C.  Thatcher,  is 
the  present  Democratic  representative  in  Congress,  from 
the  Cape  district. 

Another  handler  of  naval  stores  at  various  times  in 
the  seventies  was  the  firm  of  Barker  Bros.  &  Gardner, 
and  later  William  G.  Barker  of  Salem,  who  is  still  in  the 
Southern  lumber  business,  with  office  at  141  Milk  Street, 
and  whose  kindness  and  encouragement  to  me  as  a  boy 
and  young  man  I  have  ever  gratefully  remembered. 

Other  brokers  and  dealers  in  spirits  turpentine  were 
John  S.  Leonard  (who  died  within  a  year  or  two)  and  E. 
E.  Clark  (who  died  December,  1889)  and  who  did  business 
as  partners  as  Leonard  &  Clark  at  4  India  Street  before 
and  after  1878,  and  also  separately.  Walter  Starbuck 
was  well  known  as  a  broker  in  naval  stores  twenty-five 
or  thirty  years  ago.  AHHHHHUM  E.  A.  Becker 


80  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

and  Richard  L.  Barry,  would  offer  spirits  turpentine 
to  arrive  by  certain  vessels.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  in  the  olden  tunes,  a  large  share  of  the  spirits  tur- 
pentine and  rosin  was  brought  to  Boston  in  sailing 
ships,  and  arrivals  were  uneven  and  often  there  was  a 
scarcity,  when  dealers  would  have  to  supply  themselves 
from  Jeremiah  Kittredge  &  Co.  Then  again,  the  con- 
dition of  the  goods  received  oftentimes  was  very  poor, 
through  long  and  rough  voyages. 

Green  &  Sweatt  (the  irreverent  called  them  "Grin 
&  Sweat "),  were  located  at  4  and  6  India  Street  as 
far  back  as  1868,  and  for  several  years  did  a  flourishing 
business  in  naval  stores. 

Charles  Smith  &  Co.,  6  Central  Wharf,  were  large 
handlers  of  naval  stores  thirty-five  or  forty  years  ago, 
and  were  succeeded  by  George  E.  Smith  &  Co.  Chap- 
man &  Soden,  now  on  Atlantic  Avenue,  started  in  the 
naval  stores  business  hi  1869  at  104  Water  Street.  Morey 
&  Co.,  197  State  Street,  were  factors  at  one  tune,  about 
1876,  Edwin  Morey  of  that  firm  having  been  President 
of  the  Boston  &  Lowell  R.  R. 

W.  H.  Winslow  &  Co.  sold  naval  stores  as  far  back 
as  1868.  Erving  Winslow  (noted  for  his  activities  in 
Philippine  matters)  who  was  a  partner  in  the  latter  firm 
at  that  tune,  has  since  been  a  broker  in  naval  stores 
and  still  does  business  in  that  line. 

For  several  years  the  American  Naval  Stores  Co. 
has  had  an  office  in  Boston.  The  business  is  now  con- 
ducted under  the  name  of  the  Standard  Naval  Stores 
Co.,  Mr.  J.  C.  Butner  being  Boston  manager,  the  office 
being  at  88  Broad  Street. 

The  Antwerp  Naval  Stores  Co.  of  Savannah  is  located 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       81 

at  40  Central  Street.  The  H.  T.  West  Co.  is  their  Boston 
representative,  and  they  also  deal  in  all  pine  tree  products 
and  carbon  blacks. 

As  I  am  writing  of  the  olden  times  in  naval  stores,  I 
am  reminded  of  a  story  told  me  many  years  ago  and 
vouched  for  as  true,  and,  knowing  the  parties,  I  guess  it 
was,  although  I  have  since  heard  of  similar  experiences. 

One  of  the  receivers  of  naval  stores  in  Boston  had  a 
clerk  who  was  very  peculiar  looking  and  quite  dudish 
but  yet  very  ambitious.  He  was  very  anxious  to  go 
South  and  learn  all  about  spirits  turpentine  and  rosin, 
so  his  employer  decided  to  send  him  to  a  producer,  with 
Savannah  connections.  He  gave  the  young  man  a  letter 
of  introduction  as  follows:  "Dear  Mr.—  -This  will 
introduce  to  you  the  young  man  I  was  talking  about, 
Mr.—  — ,  and  he  isn't  such  a fool  as  he  looks." 

I  am  glad  to  say  that  the  young  man  made  good  but 
it  was  in  a  different  line. 

Nathan  F.  Carruth  &  Co.,  who  for  a  long  time  supplied 
the  trade  with  varnish,  rosin,  and  oils,  still  carry  on  the 
business  at  their  factory  in  East  Everett.  Mr.  Nathan 
F.  Carruth,  who  was  son  of  Thomas  H.  Carruth,  referred 
to  elsewhere,  died  in  1903,  and  the  business  is  conducted 
by  his  son,  Thomas  H.  Carruth.  Through  this  con- 
nection the  name  of  Carruth  has  been  connected  with 
the  oil  and  paint  business  for  eighty-eight  years. 

The  gauging  of  spirits  turpentine  in  the  old  days 
was  more  frequently  done  in  the  stores  of  dealers  or  on 
the  sidewalk,  than  at  the  wharves.  Many  of  us  remember 
old  Nath'l  Cleaves,  who  was  a  gauger  for  many  years, 
dying  in  1880,  aged  seventy-two.  He  left  three  sons, 
all  of  whom  were  gaugers  in  Boston,  N.  Porter  Cleaves 


82  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

and  Joshua  Cleaves,  who  are  both  dead,  and  James  H. 
Cleaves,  who  does  practically  all  of  the  gauging  of  spirits 
turpentine  now  received  in  Boston. 

Some  of  us  will  remember  a  jolly  soul  named  Mike 
O'Mally  who  did  a  very  considerable  business  in  gauging 
twenty-five  to  forty  years  ago. 

Plummer  Chesley  and  William  Chesley  were  the  first 
gaugers  and  inspectors  I  remember  and  I  think  they  were 
opposite  the  Custom  House.  Plummer  Chesley  I  recall 
as  a  thin,  gaunt,  tall  man,  and  after  his  retirement  his 
son,  Frank  Chesley,  was  quite  prominent  and  was  a 
gauger  for  thirty  years,  certainly  until  1906  or  1907. 

Thomas  H.  Carruth  was  a  linseed  oil  manufacturer 
in  1852,  and  the  next  year  took  as  partner  I.  Bachi, 
and  they  manufactured  linseed  oil  and  sold  paints  under 
the  name  of  Carruth  &  Bachi  for  several  years  at  29 
India  Street. 

Our  old  friend  Mathias  Crocker  appears  in  the  late 
sixties  as  a  member  of  the  importing  firm  of  Lee,  Crocker 
&  Co.,  9  India  Street,  and  a  little  later  it  was  Mathias 
Crocker  &  Co.,  his  partner  being  James  B.  Case.  They 
were  manufacturers  of  linseed  oil,  with  mill  at  East  Boston, 
in  1874  and  later. 

Another  manufacturer  of  linseed  oil  was  the  concern 
of  Israel  G.  Whitney  &  Co.,  39  Kilby  Street,  who  were 
running  the  Calcutta  Linseed  Oil  Works  in  1869. 

The  present  generation  probably  does  not  fully  know 
how  linseed  oil  was  made  and  sold  fifty  years  ago,  or 
even  forty  years  ago.  There  was  little  or  no  flaxseed 
grown  in  this  country,  the  most  of  it  coming  from  East 
India,  and  the  bulk  of  the  linseed  oil  sold,  which  was 
doubtless  cold  pressed  oil,  was  put  out  in  big  casks  from 


*HON.  DAVID  RANDALL  *MATHIAS  CROCKER 

J.  RUSSEL  MARBLE 
RALPH  E.  POTTER  ALBERT  E.  CARR 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       83 

which  the  oil  was  pumped,  and  whenever  it  was  sold 
by  the  barrel  the  heads  were  whitewashed,  and  the 
smallest  leakage  of  oil  made  the  barrels  look  very  greasy 
and  dirty.  As  the  seed  had  to  come  from  Calcutta, 
the  business  was  run  quite  a  deal  by  importers,  and  in 
this  way  the  Tudor  Company  was  largely  concerned 
at  one  time,  their  mill  being  at  one  of  the  wharves  in 
Charlestown,  1  Charles  River,  near  the  bridge.  For 
quite  a  time  this  business  was  managed  by  Mr.  H.  W. 
Jackson,  who  had  been  with  the  Tudor  Co.  from  boyhood, 
and  he  afterwards,  beginning  in  1879,  became  quite 
noted  as  a  stock  and  bond  auctioneer  in  Boston,  under 
the  name  of  Francis  Henshaw  &  Co.,  continuing  until 
his  death,  about  1900. 

The  business  of  making  Calcutta  Oil  became  unprofit- 
able, as  flaxseed  was  more  largely  grown  in  this  country 
and  could  be  crushed  more  cheaply  near  the  sources  of 
supply.  Therefore,  as  the  mills  were  run  at  a  loss,  the 
business  hereabouts  was  given  up,  and  no  linseed  oil  has 
been  made  in  New  England  for  more  than  thirty-three 
years. 

Mr.  Augustus  E.  Thompson,  who  was  a  nephew  of 
Mathias  Crocker,  was  quite  prominent  hi  the  sale  of 
linseed  oil  in  Boston  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  ago, 
and  will  be  remembered  by  all  of  the  older  members. 
The  business  became  unprofitable  and  was  relinquished 
early  in  1890.  Mr.  Thompson  is  still  living  in  Brookline, 
being  engaged  in  making  of  non-corrosive  metals.  His 
assistant  for  ten  years  or  more,  was  Frank  W.  Richards, 
who  is  now  engaged  in  the  insurance  business. 

Hon.  David  Randall  will  be  very  well  remembered 


84  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

in  this  connection,  and  further  reference  to  him  has 
already  been  made. 

Jerome  Marble  &  Co.  located  in  Boston  as  a  branch 
of  their  Worcester  house  January  1,  1885.  Mr.  Jerome 
Marble  hi  his  early  days  worked  for  John  N.  Randall 
and  his  brother,  David,  in  Boston,  and  in  1852  entered 
the  firm  of  C.  A.  Harrington  &  Co.,  Worcester,  which 
was  a  very  old  house,  in  the  sale  of  crude  chemicals 
and  dyestuffs,  and  such  paints  as  the  farmers  needed 
for  their  houses  and  buildings.  It  is  said  that  this  busi- 
ness was  established  in  1773  by  the  local  physician, 
when  Worcester  was  a  small  village,  and  if  the  claim  is 
substantiated,  through  authentic  descent,  it  is  probably 
the  oldest  of  the  kind  in  New  England,  although  not 
directly  identified  with  Boston.  In  1863  it  became 
Jerome  Marble  &  Co.,  with  Charles  A.  Hill  as  partner, 
and  Mr.  Hill,  on  retirement,  was  succeeded  in  1869  by 
William  H.  Drury,  who  died  January,  1890,  his  place 
being  taken  by  Mr.  Rufus  S.  Woodward. 

January  1, 1886,  Mr.  J.  Russell  Marble  and  Francis  A. 
McClellan,  who  had  been  with  the  house  fifteen  and 
thirteen  years  respectively,  were  admitted  to  the  firm. 
Mr.  McClellan  died  January,  1889,  and  his  interest  was 
taken  by  his  brother,  Arthur  D.  McClellan,  a  well  known 
attorney  of  Boston,  who  died  January,  1900,  and  who 
will  be  remembered  as  an  able  and  agreeable  gentleman, 
and  President  of  the  Paint  and  Oil  Club  of  New  England, 
when  the  Convention  of  the  National  Association  was 
held  in  Boston  in  1894. 

In  1901  Mr.  Charles  E.  Eager  became  a  partner,  and 
the  firm  name  was  changed,  January  1,  1904,  to  J. 
Russell  Marble  &  Co.  Mr.  Jerome  Marble  died  hi  Feb- 


PAINT,  On,,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES        85 

ruary,  1906.  The  present  members  of  the  firm  are  J. 
Russell  Marble,  Rufus  S.  Woodward,  Charles  E.  Eager, 
and  Arthur  E.  Nye,  who  became  a  partner  January  1, 
1909.  Their  stores  have  been  on  Milk  Street,  and  corner 
of  Pearl  and  Franklin  Streets,  and  corner  of  High  and 
Pearl  Streets  in  1898,  for  several  years  after,  and  for  the 
last  few  years  they  have  been  located  at  77  Pearl  Street. 
In  1886,  and  for  several  years  thereafter,  they  were 
agents  for  the  National  Linseed  Oil  Co.  They  do  an 
extensive  business  in  mill  supplies,  chemicals,  etc. 

The  agency  of  the  National  Linseed  Oil  Co.  was  given 
to  Mr.  Norris  S.  Wilson  (who  had  been  connected  with 
the  business  since  March,  1886),  and  he  represented 
the  American  Linseed  Co.,  the  successors  of  the  National 
Linseed  Oil  Co.,  since  its  transfer,  in  1899,  to  July  9, 
1914,  when  he  retired  to  make  other  business  connections. 
He  was  succeeded  on  that  day  by  Mr.  William  H.  Ingram, 
who  had  been  with  the  American  Company  in  Philadel- 
phia for  twelve  years  or  more,  or  since  he  left  the  Boston 
office,  about  1902. 

They  own  many  mills  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  some  of  them  having  very  high  and  widely 
extended  reputation,  and  probably  are  the  largest  manu- 
facturers of  linseed  oil  in  the  world.  Their  offices  are 
at  120  Milk  Street,  where  they  moved  about  1900,  and 
their  extensive  storage  tanks  are  in  Cambridge.  I 
understand  that  they  contemplate  moving  their  executive 
offices  in  August  to  77  Milk  Street,  corner  Federal  Street, 
in  Post  Office  Square. 

Since  1894  there  have  been  other  large  linseed  oil 
manufacturers  represented  in  Boston,  including  Spencer 
Kellogg  &  Sons,  now  located  at  141  Milk  Street.  Mr. 


86  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

James  W.  Simmons  was  their  representative  for  several 
years,  and  he  died  in  Denver,  Colorado,  November  16, 
1909.  The  present  manager  is  Mr.  Joseph  L.  Hall, 
who  came  to  Boston  early  hi  1909.  John  A.  O'Keefe 
is  Assistant  Sales  Manager.  The  mills  are  located  in 
Buffalo  and  Minneapolis,  and  they  do  a  very  large  and 
successful  business.  Mr.  Spencer  Kellogg,  Sr.,  has 
given  his  whole  life  to  the  business  and  probably  is  the 
best  informed  man  in  this  country  on  linseed  oil  and 
flaxseed. 

Kelloggs  &  Miller  (mills  at  Amsterdam,  N.  Y.,)  never 
were  directly  established  here,  but  were  represented 
here  twenty-five  years  ago  by  Mr.  Nowlan,  who  made 
frequent  visits  to  Boston,  and  who  will  be  remembered 
by  the  older  members.  Of  late  their  agents  have  been 
David  Randall  &  Co.,  and  we  all  have  frequent  and 
pleasant  calls  from  Mr.  Potter  of  the  firm  and  his  assistant 
Mr.  Henry  A.  Mackay.  Kelloggs  &  Miller  are  a  very 
old  concern  doing  a  large  and  successful  business  and 
deservedly  have  a  high  reputation. 

The  older  members  will  remember  Mr.  George  D. 
Martinez,  who  was  here  for  several  years,  representing 
the  old  Cleveland  Linseed  Oil  Co.,  later  absorbed  by  the 
National  Linseed  Oil  Co.  He  is  now  connected  with 
the  Hoosac  Company,  North  Adams. 

Mr.  Clarence  E.  Gale,  70  Kilby  Street,  for  the  past 
three  years  has  been  the  Boston  representative  of  the 
Edgewater  Works  on  the  Hudson  River,  of  the  Midland 
Linseed  Products  Co.  (mam  office  in  Minneapolis),  and 
Mr.  J.  R.  Poole  is  selling  agent  for  the  Guy  G.  Major 
Linseed  Oil  Co.,  now  called  the  Toledo  Linseed  Oil  & 
Products  Co. 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       87 

Mr.  M.  Field  Fowler  was  a  commission  merchant 
and  broker  in  linseed  oil  years  ago.  He  began  about 
1842  at  30  India  Street,  and  in  1844  was  at  10  Central 
Wharf,  the  next  year  moving  to  15  India  Wharf, 
where  he  was  for  twenty  years,  moving  then  to  29  Eastern 
Avenue.  In  1869  he  was  at  3  India  Street,  and  in  1875 
at  144  State  Street. 

Linder  &  Meyer,  now  in  Fiske  Building,  Boston,  are 
a  concern  very  well  and  long  known  to  the  paint,  varnish 
and  drug  trade.  They  are  large  importers  in  chemicals, 
leads,  etc.,  and  were  for  a  long  time  on  Pearl  Street, 
starting  in  business  in  1848  at  8  India  Wharf.  Hon. 
George  von  L.  Meyer,  of  Hamilton,  Mass.,  who  has 
been  both  Secretary  of  the  Navy  and  Postmaster-General, 
besides  having  been  Ambassador  to  Italy  and  Russia, 
was  for  many  years,  beginning  in  the  early  eighties,  a 
member  of  this  firm,  his  father,  George  A.  Meyer,  having 
been  one  of  the  original  partners  with  George  Linder. 

I  am  wondering  if  any  of  the  older  members  of  the 
trade  remember  Warren  F.  Norcross,  who  was  a  broker 
and  commission  merchant  in  varnish  gums  and  paints 
for  nearly  thirty  years,  beginning  at  36  India  Street  in 
1860  and  being  subsequently  at  3  Central,  136  Milk  Street, 
13  Doane  Street,  and  19  Pearl  Street.  I  remember  him 
perfectly  well,  as  he  used  to  come  to  our  office  very  often 
to  sell  varnish  gums  —  a  very  small  man,  almost  a 
dwarf,  and  probably  did  not  weigh  ninety  pounds. 
Aside  from  his  size,  he  was  well  formed  and  also  well 
informed,  and  all  right,  but  as  a  boy  I  was  very  much 
amused  to  watch  his  consequential  ways  which  were 
so  much  out  of  proportion  to  his  size.  I  think  he  died 
about  1890. 


88  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

In  1862  Joseph  H.  Chadwick  who  had  been,  as  a 
young  man,  associated  with  Francis  S.  Carruth  —  having 
had  offices  together  hi  1856,  as  commission  merchants, 
on  Custom  House  Street  —  started  in  the  lead  and  metal 
business  with  James  T.  Ellis,  under  the  style  of  Joseph 
H.  Chadwick  &  Co.,  at  53  Broad  Street,  where  he  had 
been  a  commission  merchant  for  several  years.  Mr. 
Carruth  had,  in  its  early  days,  been  connected  with  the 
Boston  Lead  Co.,  which  had  been  incorporated  in  1829, 
and  I  am  very  sure  that  he  was  a  director  in  that  concern. 
At  any  rate,  in  1868  Major  Chadwick,  probably  assisted 
by  Mr.  Carruth,  obtained  control  of  this  Company  and 
for  about  ten  years  it  was  under  the  management  of 
Joseph  H.  Chadwick,  William  J.  Bride,  and  E.  D.  Ingra- 
ham,  who  acted  as  agents  for  the  Company,  as  Joseph 
H.  Chadwick  &  Co.  In  1878  the  Company  met  with 
misfortune  and  Major  Chadwick's  resources  were  very- 
much  impaired  and  I  recall  a  rumor  at  that  time  that 
he  was  forced  to  realize  on  a  twenty-five  thousand  dollar 
mausoleum  that  he  had  built  in  the  Forest  Hills  cemetery. 
The  name  of  the  Company  was  changed  to  the  Boston 
Lead  Mfg.  Co.,  and  control  was  in  the  hands  of  Samuel 
Little,  William  J.  Bride  and  others,  as  trustees  for  the 
creditors.  The  company  afterwards  was  put  on  a  firm 
basis,  Mr.  William  J.  Bride  being  selling  agent  for  many 
years,  and  he  was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  this  company 
until  his  death. 

Mr.  A.  H.  Brodrick  started  with  the  Boston  Lead 
Co.  in  1876,  and  Mr.  D.  William  Wade  in  1882,  and 
both  of  these  gentlemen  are  prominent  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  New  England  business  of  the  Chadwick- 
Boston  Lead  Co.  at  the  present  tune,  with  office  and 


*MAJOR  JOSEPH  H  CHADWICK 

A.  H.  BRODRICK 
*JAMES  W.  HOBBS 


D.  WILLIAM  WADE 
PAUL  DEAN 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       89 

warehouse  at  162  Congress  Street.  Mr.  Brodrick  is  Presi- 
dent of  the  Company  and  Mr.  Wade  is  Treasurer. 

Major  Chadwick  was  quickly  on  his  feet  .and  in  1879 
organized  the  Chadwick  White  Lead  Works,  situated 
at  173  High  Street,  in  the  old  Fort  Hill  district,  where 
they  had  extensive  sheet  lead  works,  and  also  lead  pipe, 
and  I  think,  a  shot  tower.  This  concern  later  bought 
the  Forest  River  Lead  Works  of  Salem,  which  had  been 
established  in  1831  and  incorporated  in  1840.  Later, 
the  two  concerns  consolidated,  under  the  name  of  the 
Chadwick  Lead  Works,  and  in  1901  amalgamated  with 
the  Boston  Lead  Mfg.  Co.,  under  the  name  of  the  Chad- 
wick-Boston  Lead  Co.,  and  it  was  this  outfit  of  which 
control  was  obtained,  by  the  United  Lead  Co.,  closely 
identified  probably  with  controlling  interests  of  the 
American  Smelting  and  Refining  Co.,  and  also  with 
the  National  Lead  Co. 

The  factories  of  the  Forest  River  and  Salem  Lead 
Companies  have  been  closed  for  many  years,  and  I  think 
no  white  lead  is  made  at  the  old  factory  of  the  Boston 
Lead  Co.  on  Hampden  Street,  which  is  used  mainly  for 
manufacture  of  lead  pipe,  sheet  lead,  lead  tape,  etc. 

The  Salem  Lead  Co.  of  Salem,  Mass.,  was  incorporated 
in  February,  1868,  the  first  officers  being  Benjamin 
H.  Silsbee,  President;  Capt.  Francis  Brown,  Treasurer 
and  General  Manager;  George  H.  Allen,  Secretary; 
David  G.  Batchelder,  Superintendent,  who  served  until 
his  death  in  September,  1878,  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  his  son,  David  G.  Batchelder,  Jr.,  who  died  in  March, 
1885.  Upon  the  death  of  Captain  Brown  at  the  age 
of  sixty-five,  November  16,  1880,  his  son,  Frank  A. 
Brown,  succeeded  in  the  office  of  Treasurer,  having  been 


90  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

connected  with  the  company  since  August,  1868.  In 
1889  the  assets  of  the  company,  which  had  always  been 
a  successful  one,  were  acquired  by  the  National  Lead 
Trust,  later  regularly  incorporated  as  the  National  Lead 
Co.  The  old  company  is  kept  alive  with  nominal  capital, 
but  the  factory  has  been  closed  for  over  twenty  years  — 
the  business  being  conducted  by  the  National  Lead  Co. 
of  Massachusetts  —  a  subsidiary  of  the  parent  company, 
Mr.  Walter  Tufts  being  Treasurer  and  General  Manager 
(and  also  Director  in  the  National  Lead  Co.),  Frank  A. 
Brown,  Secretary,  and  Albert  F.  Curtis,  Comptroller. 

The  Salem  Lead  Co.  had  offices  in  Boston  as  early  as 
1877,  and  in  fact,  the  larger  part  of  its  existence.  They 
were  many  years  at  21  Pearl  Street,  a  short  time  they 
were  at  60  Pearl  Street,  when  James  H.  Prince  was  Presi- 
dent for  a  year.  From  1891  to  1896  they  were  at  234 
Congress  Street,  with  the  National  Lead  Co.  of  Massa- 
chusetts, which  latter  company  subsequently  moved  to 
the  King  Building,  Broad  Street,  corner  of  Milk  Street, 
and  later  to  two  or  three  locations  on  State  Street,  at 
present  being  at  131  State  Street,  with  storehouse  on 
Farnsworth  Street,  South  Boston.  The  parent  company 
-  The  National  Lead  Co.,  with  headquarters  in  New 
York — through  its  ownership  of  various  plants  in  various 
sections  of  the  United  States,  does  a  very  large  business 
and  controls  perhaps  three-quarters  of  the  white  lead 
business  of  the  country. 

The  Forest  River  Lead  Works,  as  stated,  were  incor- 
porated hi  1840,  having  been  established  on  the  Forest 
River  in  Salem  in  1831.  For  many  years  the  business 
was  managed  by  George  Chase  and  his  son,  George  C. 
Chase,  and  Henry  M.  Brooks  was  Treasurer,  I  think, 


*CAPT.  FRANCIS  BROWN  FRANK  A.  BROWN 

WALTER  TUFTS 
*SAMUEL  CABOT  MARCH  G.  BENNETT 


91 


up  to  the  time  when  the  business  was  disposed  of.  For 
many  years  J.  A.  &  W.  Bird  &  Co.,  in  Boston,  were  selling 
agents,  and  at  one  time  Mr.  A.  Sigourney  Bird  of  that 
concern  was  President,  I  think,  succeeding  Mr.  Chase. 
The  business  became  unprofitable  and  the  factory  was 
closed  for  a  number  of  years  but  was  later  reopened  by 
Major  Chadwick,  as  stated  elsewhere. 

The  National  Lead  Co.,  elsewhere  referred  to,  is 
naturally  a  very  important  power  in  the  lead  business 
in  this  country.  In  addition  to  close  connection  with 
metal  producers  they  have  the  controlling  interests 
in  several  lead  and  paint  companies,  also  castor  oil, 
linseed  oil,  cartridge,  and  other  metal  companies,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  original  companies  which  they  bought 
outright  when  the  National  Lead  Trust  was  first  formed, 
nearly  twenty-five  years  ago.  This  company  has  at 
present  a  capital  in  common  and  preferred  stock  and 
surplus,  of  over  fifty  millions  of  dollars,  with  liabilities 
of  less  than  half  a  million,  and  as  a  whole,  especially 
in  certain  sections,  is  shrewdly  and  successfully  managed. 
Its  profits  are  large  and  would  show  up  well  on  a  reasonable 
capitalization.  Mr.  William  W.  Lawrence  is  President, 
George  0.  Carpenter,  R.  P.  Rowe,  and  E.  J.  Cornish, 
Vice-Presidents;  and  the  directors  include  all  of  these 
gentlemen  and  others,  who  have  been  or  are  managers 
of  branches  in  the  different  cities,  or  intimately  connected 
with  the  business,  for  many  years.  I  think  there  are 
very  few,  if  any,  large  companies  existing  which  have 
a  better  board  of  officers  than  the  National  Lead  Com- 
pany, as  regards  character  and  capability  and  I  count 
several  of  them  as  among  my  most  valued  friends. 

In  passing,  I  might  refer  to  the  apparent  change  of 


92  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

policy  of  this  Company  —  in  New  England  at  least  — 
as  regards  treatment  of  jobbers  in  comparison  with 
smaller  dealers.  Of  late,  even  the  latter  seem  to  be 
discriminated  against,  through  solicitation  of  business 
from  small  painters  and  consumers.  Some  of  the  latter 
seem  to  have  obtained  better  prices  and  terms  than 
accorded  to  large  dealers  which  would  seem  to  be  contrary 
to  correct  business  principles  and  generally  accepted 
policy.  This  experiment,  as  well  as  that  of  manufacturing 
and  selling  paints  and  colors  in  competition  with  paint 
manufacturers  who  have  been  very  large  customers 
of  the  Company  in  white  lead,  will  be  watched  with 
much  interest  by  the  trade,  as  to  the  final  outcome,  both 
in  the  way  of  net  profits  after  deducting  expenses,  bad 
bills,  etc.,  and  the  certainty  of  loss  of  business  through 
the  increased  entry  into  the  white  lead  field  of  paint 
manufacturers  and  others,  who  will  naturally  demand 
equal  advantages  in  obtaining  raw  materials  which  are 
enjoyed  by  others,  who  possess  unlimited  capital  and 
opportunities  for  control. 

In  1894  Mr.  James  H.  Prince,  with  John  B.  and  T.  T. 
Swift,  and  J.  Gordon  Taylor,  who  had  formerly  been 
with  the  Eckstein  White  Lead  Co.  (bought  out  by  the 
National  Lead  Trust),  bought  a  controlling  interest  hi 
the  Eagle  White  Lead  Co.  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  The 
company  has  had  an  office  and  warehouse  in  Boston  for 
several  years,  now  located  at  16  India  Square.  The 
present  manager  is  E.  W.  Osborne,  who  is  one  of  the 
Directors  of  the  Paint  and  Oil  Club  of  New  England. 
Mr.  Prince  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  Lead  Company 
several  years  ago.  Mr.  Taylor  died  at  his  home  in  Gin- 


PAINT,  OIL,  VAENISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES        93 

cinnati,  March  17,  1914,  deeply  lamented  by  all  who 
knew  him. 

The  Hammar  Bros.  White  Lead  Co.,  a  large  corroding 
concern  of  St.  Louis,  has  been  for  several  years  repre- 
sented in  Boston  by  the  Carpenter-Morton  Company. 

The  Carter  White  Lead  Co.,  with  factories  in  Omaha 
and  Chicago,  and  which  was  founded  about  thirty-five 
years  or  more  ago  by  Levi  Carter  (his  nephew  Fred  M. 
Carter  now  being  President),  was  first,  and  for  many 
years,  represented  in  Boston  by  A.  W.  Strauss  and  for  the 
last  twelve  years  by  Gould  &  Cutler,  Incorporated. 

Wetherill  &  Brother,  of  Philadelphia,  the  oldest  white 
lead  corroders  in  the  United  States,  have  had  stores  in 
Boston,  which  were  in  operation  many  years  ago,  but  at 
present  they  are  not  now  directly  represented. 


Information  as  to  who  were  the  first  manufacturers 
of  varnish,  is  pretty  difficult  to  obtain.  I  am  sure  that 
Timothy  M.  Minot  (who  was  of  the  well-known  Minot 
family  of  Boston),  was  a  manufacturer  of  varnish  from 
1818  to  1824,  and  perhaps  longer,  in  Boston,  at  5  and  7 
Marlboro  Place,  which  led  from  what  is  now  Washington 
Street,  near  Bromfield,  and  which  is  now  covered  with 
buildings.  His  home  was  on  Common  Street,  now 
Tremont,  and  he  was  born  August  16,  1757,  the  son 
of  Dr.  Timothy  Minot  and  Mary  Martin.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolution,  and  he  died  and  was  buried 
in  Copp's  Hill  Burying  Ground  in  the  latter  part  of  1837. 
I  have  been  unable  to  obtain  anything  further  about 
Mr.  Minot  and  his  connection  with  varnish,  so  conclude 
that  he  gave  it  up  as  an  unprofitable  undertaking. 


94  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

From  what  I  can  learn,  I  should  say  that  the  name 
of  Burbank  comes  pretty  near  to  being  the  first  to  be 
associated  with  the  manufacture  of  varnish  as  a  con- 
tinuing business  in  this  country.  It  may  not  have  been 
as  early  as  1825,  as  is  claimed,  but  undoubtedly  it  was 
very  many  years  before  1850,  when  A.  G.  Stimson  began 
business  with  Caleb  Whiting,  and  when  Lawson  Valentine 
began  business  as  junior  partner  in  Wadsworth,  Nye 
&Co. 

Mr.  Silas  Burbank,  in  his  own  name  in  Salem,  worked 
along  in  a  small  way  making  varnish,  as  his  father  had 
done  before  him  in  Newburyport.  The  former  was  an 
old  man  when  my  father  entered  into  arrangement  about 
1864  or  1865  with  him  and  his  son,  Charles  G.  Burbank, 
who  were  doing  business  as  Silas  Burbank  &  Son,  for  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  Bui  bank's  Varnishes.  Mr. 
Charles  G.  Burbank  was  in  business  alone  in  1874-5-6, 
and  in  1877-9  it  was  C.  G.  Burbank  &  Co.,  Nathaniel  F. 
Ryder  being  junior  partner. 

In  1880  the  firm  of  Burbank,  Ryder  &  Damon  was 
formed,  with  Boston  office  at  42  Oliver  Street.  Mr.  N.  F. 
Ryder,  prior  to  1877,  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Odirone, 
Ryder  &  Co.,  and  also  Stevens,  Lang  &  Co.  Later  it 
became  Burbank  &  Ryder,  all  of  the  manufacturing  hav- 
ing been  done  at  62  Alford  Street,  Charlestown,  near 
Maiden  Bridge,  and  where  they  first  made  use  of  the 
words  "Bunker  Hill"  as  applied  to  varnishes. 

They  removed  within  the  past  year  to  a  new  modern 
factory  in  Everett,  built  expressly  for  them.  In  1891  they 
had  a  Boston  office  and  later  the  business  was  incorpor- 
ated under  the  name  of  Burbank  &  Ryder  Varnish  Co., 
Mr.  L.  A.  Merrow,  President;  Mr.  A.  H.  Avery,  Vice- 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       95 

President;  and  Mr.  M.  S.  Ryder,  Secretary  and  Treasurer, 
The  latter  is  son  of  Nathaniel  F.  Ryder,  the  original  of 
that  name,  who  died  July  5,  1900,  aged  fifty-six  years. 
Mr.  Burbank  has  now  no  connection  with  the  business 
and  is  living  at  an  advanced  age  with  his  daughter  in  the 
West. 

The  firm  of  Stimson  &  Valentine  was  formed  in  1852 
or  1853,  Mr.  Stimson  having  been  in  other  business  as 
stated,  and  the  same  is  true  of  Mr.  Lawson  Valentine. 
In  1857  the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Stimson,  Valentine 
Co.,  Mr.  Otis  W.  Merriam,  a  chair  manufacturer,  being 
the  Company,  and  undoubtedly  contributing  capital, 
and  Henry  C.  Valentine  was  a  junior  partner  in  1862. 
The  concern  was  located  in  1856  at  55  Broad  Street. 
In  1864  the  firm  was  Valentine  &  Co.,  with  Mr.  Henry 
C.  Valentine  at  the  head,  the  other  partners  being  Lawson 
Valentine  and  A.  G.  Stimson.  In  1867  or  1868,  Mr. 
Stimson  retired  from  Valentine  &  Co.,  and  formed  a 
partnership  with  John  Babcock  and  John  Livermore, 
under  the  name  of  Stimson,  Babcock  &  Livermore, 
and  had  a  store  at  32  or  34  Broad  Street.  Six  years 
later  Mr.  Livermore  left  the  concern  and  the  business 
continued  as  Stimson  &  Babcock  at  the  same  place, 
about  32  Broad  Street,  which  continued  until  1883,  when 
Mr.  Babcock  retired,  and  Mr.  Stimson  continued  the 
business  for  several  years  at  149  Milk  Street,  finally 
retiring  from  same.  In  1869  Valentine  &  Co.  had  an 
office  at  32  Kilby  Street  and  were  later  at  153  Milk  Street, 
as  a  branch  of  the  main  house  —  headquarters  in  New 
York  —  the  Boston  business  being  managed  for  many 
years  by  Daniel  G.  Mansfield,  who  died  in  Medford, 
December  29,  1912.  Later  they  removed  to  164  Pur- 


96  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

chase  Street,  where  they  were  in  1891,  and  later  to  74 
Pearl  Street,  where  they  are  now  located,  Mr.  Walter 
H.  Pulsifer  being  manager.  They  have  always  done  a 
very  large  and  profitable  business,  especially  with  carriage 
manufacturers.  Henry  C.  Valentine,  who  was  President 
of  Valentine  &  Company  for  many  years  after  1881, 
died  in  1912,  aged  eighty-one. 

Mr.  John  Babcock  was  a  varnish  maker  for  Stimson 
&  Valentine  in  the  early  fifties,  and  continued  with  Mr. 
Stimson  until  1867  or  1868,  when  he  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Stimson,  Babcock  &  Livermore,  as  stated. 
He  continued  later  with  Mr.  Stimson,  as  Stimson  & 
Babcock,  until  1877,  when  he  went  into  business  himself 
under  the  style  of  John  Babcock  &  Co.,  which  he  carried 
on  until  the  day  of  his  death,  March  11,  1887,  aged 
seventy-one  years.  The  business  at  104  Water  Street 
and  at  4  Liberty  Square  was  continued  by  his  son, 
Frank  H.  Babcock,  and  on  his  death,  January  8,  1912, 
it  was  sold  to  Mr.  C.  Warren  Moulton,  who  had  married 
a  daughter  of  John  Babcock.  The  business  was  incor- 
porated in  February  of  this  year,  under  the  style  of 
John  Babcock  &  Co.,  with  Paul  Babcock  Moulton,  a 
grandson  of  John  Babcock,  as  President,  and  C.  Warren 
Moulton,  Treasurer,  and  the  factory  is  located  at  Brighton. 

The  Babcock  Varnish  Co.  was  started  in  1889  by  M. 
C.  Babcock,  William  T.  Jenkins,  and  Mr.  A.  M.  Chase. 
The  office  for  a  tune  was  at  10  Oliver  Street.  Mr.  Chase 
retired  and  Mr.  Jenkins  died  several  years  ago,  but  the 
business  is  still  being  carried  on  at  factory,  156  Western 
Avenue,  in  Brighton,  and  office  142  High  Street,  Mr. 
M.  C.  Babcock  being  President  and  C.  A.  Knight, 
Treasurer. 


JAMES  B.  LORD  HARRY  A.  HALL 

GEORGE  H.  SHAW 
COL.  LYFORD  A.  MERKOW  *JOSEPII  W.  STICKNEY 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES        97 

The  Boston  Varnish  Co.  is  doubtless  the  largest  manu- 
facturer of  varnish  in  New  England,  with  works  and 
office  at  Everett,  and  they  distribute  their  goods  all 
over  the  United  States,  one  of  their  specialties  being 
Kyanize.  The  business  was  originated  by  B.  J.  Richard- 
son, and  at  his  death  was  acquired  by  the  present  owners. 
The  officers  are  James  B.  Lord,  President;  W.  A.  Putnam, 
Vice-President ;  and  Harry  A.  Hall,  Treasurer. 

The  Queen  City  Varnish  Co.  is  represented  by  Frank 
C.  Davenport  at  1334  Tremont  Street,  who  was  at  one 
time  agent  for  Wetherill  &  Bro.  white  lead  manufacturers, 
when  they  were  at  137  High  Street. 

John  Weingartner  has  sold  varnish  in  Boston  for 
many  years,  and  is  now  owner  of  the  Quaker  City  Varnish 
Co.,  at  136  Harrison  Avenue. 

The  Norfolk  Varnish  Co.,  located  at  Norfolk  Downs, 
was  organized  in  April,  1908,  B.  G.  Brown,  President, 
and  W.  H.  Emerson,  Treasurer. 

The  West  Varnish  Co.  of  Everett  is  managed  by  H.  J. 
West. 

Although,  strictly  speaking,  Mr.  George  H.  Shaw  of 
Middleboro  is  not  a  Boston  man,  still  his  many  regular 
visits  to  Boston  in  the  interest  of  varnish  and  japan, 
which  he  manufactured,  have  made  him  familiar  to  all 
of  the  trade  and  this  brief  resume  of  the  varnish  business 
would  be  incomplete  if  we  did  not  make  reference  to 
him.  He  could  be  well  called  the  " Grand  Old  Man" 
of  the  varnish  business  and  his  life  has  been  one  of  good 
works,  as  well  as  of  pleasure  and  profit,  not  only  to  him- 
self, but  to  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  contact. 
To  my  mind,  his  life  could  surely  justify  a  claim,  if  desired, 
of  being  in  the  highest  sense  most  successful  and  most 


98  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

happy.  He  begun  business  as  a  japan  manufacturer 
in  1858  and  later  added  varnish.  As  he  was  born 
March,  1831,  he  is  now  eighty-three  years  old.  The 
business  was  incorporated  four  or  five  years  ago  as 
George  H.  Shaw  Co.,  George  H.  Shaw,  President  and 
Treasurer;  Ezra  F.  Shaw,  Vice-President ;  Lewis  F. 
Harding,  Secretary.  Mr.  Frank  A.  Spooner,  who  was 
at  one  time  connected  with  the  Government  Waterproof 
Paint  Co.,  is  Sales  Manager,  succeeding  Mr.  Shaw's 
son,  Arthur  E.  Shaw,  who  died  in  Middleboro,  March 
6,  1910,  lamented  by  all. 

Pratt  &  Lambert,  Inc.,  of  Buffalo  and  Chicago,  is 
one  of  the  largest  varnish  manufacturing  companies, 
and  while  not  at  the  present  time  having  a  depot  or  office 
in  Boston,  is  well  represented  by  J.  C.  W.  McKim,  who 
succeeded  C.  H.  G.  Miner.  Mr.  Miner  was  later  manager 
for  A.  P.  Fuller  Co.,  Portland,  Maine,  and  on  change 
of  control  in  that  concern,  obtained  by  Burgess-Fobes 
Co.  of  Portland,  he  resigned  and  is  now,  I  think,  on 
the  Pacific  Coast.  The  original  firm  of  Pratt  &  Lambert 
was  formed  thirty-five  or  more  years  ago  by  A.  W. 
Pratt  —  a  brother  of  Charles  Pratt  —  and  Henry  S. 
Lambert,  and  I  think  that  for  a  time  Charles  Pratt  was 
a  special  partner. 

Many  in  the  trade  will  favorably  remember  Mr.  Lam- 
bert who  made  frequent  visits  to  Boston.  On  account 
of  ill-health,  he  retired  more  than  fifteen  years  ago  from 
active  business  to  Asheville,  N.  C.,  where  he  died  about 
six  years  ago.  Mr.  N.  B.  Arnold  was  at  one  time  Secre- 
tary of  the  Corporation  of  Pratt  &  Lambert  but  retired 
to  make  connection  with  the  Keystone  Varnish  Co., 
and  is  now  President  of  that  Company.  Mr.  William 


99 


H.  Andrews  (who  begun  his  business  career  with  Wads- 
worth-Howland  &  Co.,  Boston,)  has  been  President  of 
Pratt  &  Lambert,  Inc.,  for  ten  years  or  more,  and  under 
his  able  management  the  business  has  assumed  large 
proportions. 

Aug.  P.  Fuller  Company,  varnish  manufacturers,  head- 
quarters in  Portland,  Maine,  are  represented  in  Boston 
by  Augustus  T.  Sweat,  with  office  at  29  Central  Street. 
Frank  J.  Masure  is  President  and  General  Manager, 
and  Harold  B.  Fobes,  son  of  the  late  Charles  S.  Fobes, 
Treasurer.  The  ownership  of  Aug.  P.  Fuller  Co.  is  vested 
in  Burgess-Fobes  Co.,  paint  manufacturers,  of  Portland 
for  many  years.  Mr.  Leon  M.  Fobes,  son  of  the  late 
Leander  W.  Fobes,  is  President  of  the  present  corpora- 
tion of  Burgess-Fobes  Co.,  and  they  are  represented  also 
by  Mr.  Sweat  at  the  above  Boston  address. 

Berry  Bros.,  Ltd.,  of  Detroit,  one  of  the  very  large 
varnish  manufacturing  concerns,  established  a  depot  in 
Boston  in  1879,  and  Mr.  William  F.  Chapman  who  was 
the  manager  for  many  years  on  Milk  Street,  42  Pearl 
Street,  and  520  Atlantic  Avenue,  and  who  died  Jan- 
uary 6,  1903,  will  be  well  remembered  by  the  older 
members.  Their  present  location  is  173  Federal  Street, 
the  manager  being  H.  A.  'Fuller. 

The  Standard  Varnish  Works  of  New  York  and  Chicago, 
probably  the  largest  in  the  United  States  and  perhaps 
in  the  world,  have  had  offices  here  for  many  years,  now 
located  at  120  Tremont  Street.  One  of  the  earliest 
representatives  here  was  Samuel  S.  Long,  who  is  now 
General  Sales  Agent  of  the  entire  company,  headquarters 
in  New  York.  The  present  Boston  manager  is  Mr. 
F.  W.  Janvrin,  Mr.  Charles  H.  Dearborn  (who  started 


100  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

in  the  paint  business  with  Poor,  Towne  &  Co.  in  1878), 
being  in  charge  of  sales  to  manufacturers.  He  remained 
with  Poor,  Towne  &  Co.  until  their  retirement  in  1894 
and  from  1900  to  1904  was  with  the  Murphy  Varnish  Co. 

Mayer  &  Loewenstein,  established  1846,  old  and  very 
well-known  varnish  manufacturers  of  New  York,  forty- 
three  years  ago  were  represented  here  by  my  old  and 
valued  friend,  Ludolph  H.  Abraham,  who  was  Boston 
resident  partner  of  the  house  for  several  years  after 
his  admission,  January  1,  1880.  He  now  is  President 
and  principal  owner  of  the  present  Corporation  of  Mayer 
&  Loewenstein,  which  was  incorporated  January  1,  1908. 
His  son,  James  H.  Abraham,  is  now  Vice-President  and 
Superintendent  of  factory,  and  makes  occasional  visits 
to  Boston.  Their  office  is  164  Water  Street,  New  York, 
and  factory  at  Vernon  Avenue,  corner  of  Bodine  Street. 

The  Murphy  Varnish  Co.  (of  which  Franklin  Murphy, 
former  Governor  of  New  Jersey  is  President),  one  of  the 
largest  varnish  houses  in  the  United  States,  with  head- 
quarters in  Newark,  N.  J.,  was  established  in  Boston 
prior  to  1894  and  has  had  offices  and  warerooms  at  140 
Pearl  Street,  and  later  on  Batterymarch  Street  in  1908, 
when  Louis  L.  Drake,  then  Secretary  of  National  Paint,  Oil 
and  Varnish  Association,  was  Manager.  The  company, 
I  think,  is  not  now  directly  represented  here. 

The  Chicago  Varnish  Co.  has  had  a  distributing  depot 
here  for  considerably  more  than  twenty-years  —  quite 
a  time  at  Pearl  Street,  corner  of  High  Street,  and  were 
formerly  represented  by  Mr.  William  Atkins.  They 
are  now  located  at  75  High  Street,  A.  E.  Hunter  being 
manager. 

In  1880  Glidden  &  Joy  had  a  store  in  Boston  at  127 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       101 

Fulton  Street,  and  in  1891  their  headquarters  were  at 
170  Hanover  Street,  William  F.  Joy  being  manager. 
The  name  was  later  changed  to  the  Glidden  &  Joy  Varnish 
Co.,  and  later  to  the  Glidden  Varnish  Co.  Mr.  W.  F. 
Joy  died  about  five  years  ago.  They  had  a  store  in 
Boston  in  1894,  with  warehouse  at  one  tune  at  196 
Commercial  Street,  and  continued  it  for  several  years 
under  the  management  of  H.  A.  Norton  at  58  Pearl 
Street,  but  have  since  moved  their  New  England  head- 
quarters to  New  York,  now  managed  by  C.  I.  Phillips, 
although  their  local  representative,  Mr.  Charles  E. 
Knowles  is  still  with  us.  They  do  a  very  extensive 
business,  especially  in  Jap-a-lac,  which  has  been  so  widely 
advertised.  Mr.  Norton  is  now  special  representative 
covering  the  whole  of  New  England. 

In  1883  Glidden  W.  Joy  did  business  at  No.  93  and  later 
at  85  Union  Street,  as  varnish  manufacturer,  his  factory 
being  in  Brighton.  He  gave  up  business  not  long  after 
and  is  now  living  in  New  York. 

There  were  other  men  in  the  varnish  manufacturing 
business  in  the  olden  times:  W.  C.  Hunneman,  1866 
at  41  India  Street,  1868  at  38  India  Street,  and  in  1869 
at  65  Commercial  Street ;  Edwin  A.  Rogers,  Canal  Street, 
1865  to  1870;  Eben  Fisher  in  1869  at  65  Commercial 
Street;  Mr.  Lyman  M.  Miller,  1870  and  later;  Mr.  Howard 
H.  Paul,  1889;  Edward  Pearl,  1869  and  later,  and  Mr. 
Joseph  W.  Stickney,  the  latter  doing  business  in  1864 
as  Joseph  W.  Stickney  &  Co.,  and  making  a  specialty  of 
black  varnish.  Mr.  Stickney  is  still  doing  business 
under  the  name  of  Stickney-Tirrell  &  Co.,  large  manu- 
facturers of  whiting,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  he  has  been 
fifty  years  or  more  in  the  business  and  is  still  hale  and 


102  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

hearty.  (August  18.  I  have  just  learned  of  the  death 
today  of  Mr.  Stickney  at  his  home  in  Chelsea  in  his 
eighty-first  year.) 

In  the  matter  of  whiting,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place 
to  state  that  Mr.  William  S.  Pratt,  who  is  a  past  President 
of  the  Paint  and  Oil  Club,  and  is  now  an  honorary  mem- 
ber, was  once  a  large  manufacturer  of  whiting,  but  has 
now  retired  from  active  business. 

The  Acme  White  Lead  &  Color  Works,  East  Boston, 
referred  to  elsewhere,  are  also  manufacturers  of  whiting. 

Whittemore- Wright  Co.  are  manufacturers  of  shellac, 
varnishes,  stains,  waxes,  etc.,  on  Alford  Street,  Charles- 
town,  the  President  and  Treasurer  being  Fred  L.  Whitte- 
more, and  Vice-President  Richard  A.  Wright,  both  of 
them  having  been  in  the  drug  and  chemical  business 
as  far  back  as  1881,  with  0.  S.  Janney  &  Co.  They  are 
Boston  representatives  of  William  Zinsser  &  Co.,  New 
York,  manufacturers  of  bleached  shellac  gum,  varnishes, 
paints,  etc. 

The  Butcher  Polish  Co.,  357  Atlantic  Avenue,  are 
perhaps  the  largest  and  best  known,  and  certainly  were 
the  earliest,  large  manufacturers  of  floor  waxes  in  the 
United  States.  The  business  was  begun  by  Charles 
Butcher  alone,  and  afterwards  was  incorporated  in  1883 
under  the  name  of  Butcher  Polish  Co.,  Charles  Butcher 
being  President,  and  George  E.  Ryder,  Treasurer.  Mr. 
George  E.  Ryder  died  a  few  years  later  and  his  son, 
Everett  G.  Ryder,  succeeded  him. 

H.  F.  Staples  &  Co.,  factory  in  Medford,  are  also 
large  manufacturers  of  waxes  for  the  trade,  established 
about  1900.  Mr.  Staples  is  a  Director  in  the  Paint 
and  Oil  Club  of  New  England  at  the  present  time. 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       103 

George  A.  Alden  &  Co.  for  many  years  were  important 
factors  in  shellac  gums,  their  main  business  however 
having  been  crude  rubber.  They  had  an  interest  in  the 
manufacture  of  white  shellac  gum  through  partial  owner- 
ship of  the  Mac-Lac  Co.  They  were  unfortunate 
in  their  business  which  is  now  in  liquidation  and  the 
Mac-Lac  Co.  now  is  represented  in  Boston  by  Mr.  W. 
A.  Priest,  at  204  Milk  Street. 

Mr.  Fred  L.  Moses,  formerly  with  the  Alden  concern, 
is  now  a  broker  and  commission  merchant  in  shellac 
and  other  articles,  with  headquarters  at  220  Devonshire 
Street. 

John  H.  Atkinson,  71  Kilby  Street,  is  also  a  broker  in 
shellac,  and  the  concern  of  Knox  &  Morse  Co.,  96  High 
Street,  are  manufacturers  of  chemicals,  waxes,  and  drugs, 
and  dealers  in  naval  stores,  etc. 

John  0.  Robinson  Co.,  63  Oliver  Street,  are  brokers 
and  dealers  in  shellac,  waxes,  etc.,  and  commission 
merchants  in  paints. 

John  W.  Hamilton  Co.,  70  Kilby  Street,  are  dealers 
and  manufacturers  in  varnishes,  shellac,  etc. 

As  paints  and  varnishes  would  not  be  of  very  much 
use  were  it  not  for  brushes  (despite  some  modern  invention 
of  immersion  for  varnishing,  or  force  and  spray  pumps 
for  painting),  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  devote  a  little 
space  and  time  to  some  of  the  early  brush  manufacturers, 
and  also  those  who  have  been  among  us  during  the  last 
two  generations. 

From  Medfield,  Mass.,  have  come  many  brush  manu- 
facturers, the  first  of  whom  was  Artemus  Woodward, 
who  began  in  1807  making  brushes  in  a  small  way,  two 


104  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

of  his  apprentices  being  John  W.  Adams  (a  cousin  of 
former  President  John  Quincy  Adams)  and  Seth  Whiting 
(father  of  John  L.  Whiting),  who  joined  together  just 
about  a  hundred  years  ago  in  Medfield.  For  a  short 
time  they  manufactured  the  Whiting  &  Adams  brushes, 
later  called  the  Adams  brushes  by  Mr.  John  W.  Adams' 
son  and  successor,  Mr.  John  J.  Adams,  who  was  at  one 
time  the  largest  manufacturer  of  brushes  in  the  United 
States.  As  early  as  1835  Mr.  Adams  was  in  business 
in  Boston  at  72  and  99  Washington  Street,  where  he 
remained  for  thirty  years.  I  think  he  later  had  a  factory 
outside  of  Boston,  with  headquarters  later  in  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  and  the  firm  of  J.  J.  Adams  &  Co.  was  known  all 
over  the  United  States.  Seth  Whiting  continued  as  a 
manufacturer  and  inventor  until  his  death  in  1850. 
Many  of  his  inventions,  especially  tools  and  implements, 
were  very  important. 

His  son,  John  L.  Whiting,  continued  in  the  brush 
business,  making  brushes  for  himself  in  a  desultory  wray, 
also  working  for  others,  from  about  1850  to  the  early 
sixties,  and  about  1864  he  was  at  15  Exchange  Street, 
where  Eastham,  Harvey  &  Morris  were  located.  Not 
long  afterwards  he  was  at  3  Doane  Street,  somewhere 
about  1865,  and  was  associated  as  partner  with  Howard 
L.  Drinkwater,  under  the  name  of  Drinkwater  &  Whiting. 
(This  combination  of  names  might  be  appropriate  for  a 
man  of  Mr.  Whiting's  strong  temperance  principles 
but  the  product  apparently  advised  to  be  partaken  inter- 
nally would  not  be  of  much  use,  anyway,  although  nomin- 
ally it  could  be  called  a  kalsomine,  if  a  little  glue  were 
added,  which  would  spoil  it  as  a  beverage.) 

Drinkwater  &  Whiting  were  together  at  8.  Blackstone 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       105 

Street  in  1866-7,  when  the  former  retired  and  a  year  or 
two  later  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Packard,  Burrill 
&  Co.,  at  33  Exchange  Street.  Mr.  Whiting  continued 
at  8  Blackstone  Street  until  about  1875,  when  removal 
was  made  to  144  Oliver  Street,  where  he  remained  until 
1888,  when  he  removed  to  High  Street,  corner  of  Purchase 
Street.  His  son,  William  S.  Whiting,  was  admitted  as 
partner  in  1881,  under  the  style  of  John  L.  Whiting  & 
Son,  and  continued  until  his  sudden  and  lamented  death 
April  9,  1908,  aged  fifty-two  years. 

Mr.  John  L.  Whiting  spent  all  his  life  in  the  brush 
business  and  made  more  important  and  valuable  inven- 
tions relating  to  brushes  than  any  other  man,  and  could 
truly  be  called  the  "King"  of  brush  makers.  He  was 
a  lovable  man,  public-spirited  and  philanthropic  and 
of  sterling  character.  He  died  June  5,  1892,  aged  sixty- 
nine  years. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  John  L.  Whiting  the  business 
was  incorporated  under  the  style  of  John  L.  Whiting 
&  Son  Co.,  Mr.  W.  S.  Whiting  being  President  $nd 
Treasurer,  and  Lew  C.  Hill  (whose  wife  was  a  niece  of 
John  L.  Whiting),  Secretary.  Shortly  after  the  death 
of  Mr.  W.  S.  Whiting  consolidation  was  made  June  1, 
1908,  with  J.  J.  Adams  &  Co.,  elsewhere  referred  to,  under 
the  style  of  John  L.  Whiting-J.  J.  Adams  Co.,  and 
it  is  a  singular  coincidence  of  the  coming  together  of 
the  names  of  Whiting  and  Adams,  the  same  as  nearly 
one  hundred  years  before.  Another  singular  thing  in 
connection  with  this  business,  is  the  fact  that  there  are 
connected  with  the  present  corporation,  four  great  grand- 
sons of  Seth  Whiting,  the  Medfield  brush  maker  of  1810, 
who  was  the  father  of  John  L.  Whiting.  They  are  Allen 


106 


S.  Whiting,  who  is  financially  interested  in  the  business 
but  on  account  of  ill-health  does  not  take  an  active 
part;  Henry  H.  Hill,  who  has  been  in  the  business  over 
fifteen  years  and  attends  to  many  very  important  duties 
and  responsibilities  in  a  general  way,  with  a  special 
overlooking  of  the  manufacturing  end;  Edward  M. 
Hill,  another  son  of  Mr.  Lew  C.  Hill,  whose  duties  require 
particular  attention  to  the  large  business  in  the  J.  J. 
Adams  brand  of  brushes;  and  John  Whiting  Webber, 
who  has  more  recently  come  into  the  business.  With 
these  young  men  of  strong  ability  and  good  character 
who  take  great  interest  in  brushes,  the  company  has 
good  stock  for  future  management  and  doubtless  will 
carry  through  successfully  many  years  into  the  second 
century  of  its  career. 

The  business,  which  probably  is  the  largest  in  the  line 
in  the  world,  is  at  present  conducted  in  a  factory  covering 
nearly  a  whole  block  at  690  to  710  Harrison  Avenue, 
and  also  at  a  factory  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Lew  C. 
Hill — who  began  business  with  Mr.  Whiting  in  1875 
and  who  is  perhaps  the  most  influential  as  he  is,  in  my 
opinion,  the  ablest  man  in  the  brush  business  in  the 
United  States — is  the  President  of  the  concern;  Mr. 
Harvey  W.  Hascey,  who  was  formerly  head  of  the  J. 
J.  Adams  Co.,  and  was  very  well  known  among  the 
brush  buyers  of  the  United  States,  is  Treasurer,  and  Mr. 
Allen  S.  Whiting,  is  Secretary. 

The  present  concern  of  A.  &  E.  Burton  &  Co.  is  now  a 
corporation  and  located  at  73-75  Pearl  Street,  where 
they  have  been  for  fifteen  years  or  more.  This  concern 
was  started  in  1845  by  James  Harvey  and  N.  and  A. 
Burton,  under  the  firm  name  of  Harvey  &  Burtons,  at 


*JOHN  L.  WHITING 
HARVEY  W.  HASCY 


LEW  C.  HILL 


*WILLTAM  S.  WHITING 


*FRANK  H.  CARTER 


*JOHN  C.   PUSHEE 


*ANSON  BURTON 


GEORGE  D.  PUSHEE 


JOHN  E.  PUSHEE 
*EZRA  BURTON 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       107 

7  Water  Street,  and  they  continued  under  that  name 
and  as  Harvey,  Burton  &  Co.,  until  about  1863  or  1864, 
being  located  on  Devonshire  Street  and  Exchange  Street. 
In  1864  and  twelve  years  later,  it  was  Burton,  Fellows 
&  Co.,  at  21  Exchange  Street.  That  same  year  Mr. 
Fellows  retired  and  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Austin  &  Fellows,  at  35  Exchange  Street,  where  they 
remained  for  several  years,  removing  in  1883  to  96  High 
Street.  The  Burtons  continued  as  A.  &  E..  Burton  & 
Co.  at  21  Exchange  Street,  Mr.  F.  H.  Carter  being  the 
junior  partner,  and  about  1899  they  removed  to  73 
Pearl  Street.  Mr.  Carter  was  the  managing  partner 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  about  a  year  ago,  and  since 
then  the  corporation  has  been  formed. 

J.  C.  Pushee  &  Sons  were  originally  brush  makers  at 
Lansingburgh,  N.  Y.,  and  established  there  by  John  C. 
Pushee,  who  was  of  New  England  ancestry,  the  Pushee 
family  having  for  several  generations  lived  in  and  about 
Littleton  and  Westford,  Mass.  This  business  was  brought 
to  Boston  about  1879  and  for  several  years  operated  as 
J.  C.  Pushee  &  Co.  In  the  early  eighties  Mr.  Pushee 
admitted  his  sons,  George  D.  and  John  E.,  to  partner- 
ship, forming  the  firm  of  J.  C.  Pushee  &  Sons.  The 
firm  so  continued  until  1900,  when  John  C.  Pushee  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years,  and  the  business,  which 
extends  all  over  the  United  States,  has  since  been  con- 
tinued very  successfully  by  George  D.  and  John  E. 
Pushee,  a  partnership  under  the  same  name  and  style 
of  J.  C.  Pushee  &  Sons,  at  3  Randolph  Street,  corner 
Harrison  Avenue,  where  they  have  been  for  over  twenty 
years. 

Samuel  E.  Jordan,  of  Samuel  E.  Jordan  Brush  Co., 


108          HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

successors  to  Jordan  &  Christie,  began  with  William  G. 
Baker,  a  brush  manufacturer  hi  Maplewood,  as  a  boy 
of  thirteen,  in  1869.  He  was  engaged  for  several  years 
in  other  business  and  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Baker  hi  1881, 
in  connection  with  Mr.  Christie,  began  business  as  above, 
and  were  hi  1882  at  143  Charlestown  Street  and  later 
at  85  Fulton  Street,  and  for  many  years  had  a  store  at 
28  Merchants  Row.  They  built  a  fine  new  factory  in 
Maplewood  in  1893,  and  later  removed  their  office  and 
store  from  Merchants  Row  to  Maplewood.  Mr.  Christie 
died  about  1904,  when  Mr.  Jordan  bought  out  his  interests 
and  continued  alone  until  1906,  when  the  Samuel  E.  Jordan 
Brush  Co.  was  formed,  Mr.  Jordan  being  President  and 
Treasurer,  and  George  W.  Soule,  Assistant  Treasurer  and 
General  Manager. 

Worcester  &  Austin  were  in  business  at  86  Chardon 
Street  hi  1869,  and  later  at  35  Exchange  Street,  when 
they  separated,  Mr.  Austin  going  with  John  H.  Fellows, 
and  the  firm  of  Worcester,  Stadlinger  &  Co.  was  formed 
at  27  Exchange  Street.  In  1879  the  firm  was  A.  Wor- 
cester &  Son,  and  the  business  has  been  continued  there 
ever  since  under  that  name  and  George  H.  Worcester  & 
Co. 

John  F.  Bowditch,  now  located  at  14-16  India  Square, 
has  been  in  the  brush  business  for  very  many  years, 
having  first  been  connected  with  John  L.  Whiting,  prior 
to  1879,  and  from  that  time  he  has  been  located  in  India 
Square. 

William  M.  Sawin,  who  also  was  formerly  with  John 
L.  Whiting,  began  business  at  126  Canal  Street  some 
seventeen  to  eighteen  years  ago,  and  is  now  located  at 
11  Hawkins  Street. 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES     109 

Mr.  W.  G.  Hallock,  who  was  twenty  years  ago  at  36 
South  Market  Street  and  later  at  126  Canal  Street,  is 
now  located  at  11  Hawkins  Street. 

The  W.  P.  Goode  Brush  Co.,  now  at  134  North  Street, 
is  the  successor  to  C.  A.  Austin  Brush  Co.,  who  in  turn 
succeeded  Charles  A.  Austin  &  Co.  at  96  High  Street. 

Darius  White,  founder  of  D.  White  &  Son,  Portland, 
Maine,  learned  his  trade  from  John  J.  Adams  and  was  a 
power  in  the  brush  business  for  many  years.  He  had  a 
store  in  Boston  about  1860  at  29  India  Street,  and  the 
next  year  was  on  Exchange  Street  as  D.  White  &  Son, 
remaining  there  until  about  1880,  when  their  Boston 
business  was  looked  after  by  Wadsworth,  Rowland  & 
Co.  Not  very  long  after,  the  entire  business  was  sold 
to  John  L.  Whiting  &  Son,  the  Portland  factory  being 
closed,  and  the  " White"  Brushes  have  ever  since  been 
made  at  the  Whiting  factory. 

The  Boston  Feather  Duster  Co.  has  operated  in  Boston 
many  years  and  is  now  located  at  74  Pearl  Street. 

I  will  briefly  refer  to  some  of  the  old  brush  manu- 
facturing concerns,  practically  all  of  them  now  being  out 
of  business  and  not  represented  by  successors,  and  nearly 
all  of  the  older  members  are  dead. 

One  of  the  earliest  brush  factories  located  in  Boston, 
was  that  of  John  Doane,  who  in  1829  was  located  at  19 
Merchants  Row,  and  for  over  twenty  years  the  business 
was  continued  at  8  and  19  Exchange  Street,  John  Doane, 
Jr.,  succeeding  his  father  in  1833,  and  later  continuing 
the  business  as  John  Doane,  Jr.,  &  Co.,  the  junior  partner 
being  Heman  S.  Doane.  The  latter  took  the  business 
alone  in  1841  and  continued  under  that  name,  and 
Foster  &  Doane,  and  Doane  &  Skilton,  and  his  own  name, 


110  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

at  Exchange  Street  and  Water  Street,  until  1867,  when 
Mr.  H.  Averill  was  admitted  as  a  partner  under  the  name 
of  Heman  S.  Doane  &  Co.  They  in  turn,  were  succeeded 
in  1870  by  Averill  &  Hunting,  who,  after  the  Boston  fire, 
moved  to  Waverly  Block,  Charlestown,  and  later  were 
at  323  Washington  Street.  In  1879  it  was  Averill, 
Hunting  &  Carter,  at  the  same  place,  and  two  years  later 
Hiram  Averill  was  alone  at  323  Washington  Street,  and 
Mr.  Hunting  was  of  the  firm  of  Eastham,  Hunting  & 
Carter,  at  352  Washington  Street.  Mr.  E.  N.  Hunting 
left  to  take  charge  of  the  brush  manufacturing  business 
at  the  Charlestown  State  Prison,  and  has  given  the  State 
many  years  of  faithful  service,  and  is  still  alive  and 
active  at  quite  an  advanced  age. 

One  of  the  early  and  large  concerns  in  brush  manu- 
facturing was  that  of  Stratton,  Coolidge  &  Co.,  composed 
of  Ira  Stratton,  F.  Coolidge,  Jr.,  and  J.  L.  Sherriff,  and 
they  and  their  successors  were  located  at  22  Exchange 
Street  for  about  twenty-seven  years.  The  various 
changes  in  the  firm  were  represented  by  Stratton,  Coolidge 
&  Sherriff;  Stratton,  Sherriff  &  Co.  (the  junior  partners 
having  been  William  W.  Eastham  and  John  H.  Fellows), 
and  Sherriff  &  Eastham,  in  1860  to  1864.  Mr.  Ira  Stratton 
of  this  firm  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  richest  man 
in  the  brush  business  in  the  United  States.  The  concern 
was  succeeded  by  Harvey  &  Morris  of  33  Exchange 
Street,  and  the  next  year  it  was  Eastham,  Harvey  & 
Morris  at  15  Union  Street,  where  they  remained  several 
years.  Probably  Mr.  Harvey  of  this  concern  was  formerly 
of  the  firm  of  Harvey  &  Burtons.  The  business  was 
afterwards  conducted  by  Eastham  &  Morris,  and  later 
W.  W.  Eastham  was  alone  from  1876  to  1880,  and  the 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES     111 

next  year  was  of  the  firm  of  Eastham,  Hunting  &  Carter 
at  352  Washington  Street. 

The  well-known  McLaughlin  Brush  factory  was  started 
about  1852  by  McLaughlin  &  Coburn  at  28  Exchange 
Street,  and  the  next  year  Mr.  Francis  McLaughlin  was 
alone  at  the  same  place  and  for  many  years  thereafter. 
About  1877  the  firm  of  Murphy,  Leavens  &  Co.  succeeded 
to  the  McLaughlin  business  and  continued  many  years 
at  12  Devonshire  Street,  but  are  not  now  in  active  business. 

In  1869  the  firm  Packard,  Burrill  &  Co.  was  formed 
at  33  Exchange  Street,  Mr.  Homer  L.  Drinkwater  being 
the  junior  partner.  Some  two  years  later  the  firm  was 
Packard  &  Burrill  at  the  same  place,  and  later  they  were 
located  at  8  Union  Street,  where  they  were  for  many  years. 
Later,  about  1903,  Mr.  C.  0.  Burrill  did  business  on  his 
own  account  and  A.  Packard  &  Co.  continued  at  8  Union 
Street  until  1906,  when  they  removed  to  Commercial 
Street,  and  not  long  after  I  think  they  discontinued 
business. 

In  1864  or  1865  John  L.  Sherriff,  who  had  been  of 
Stratton,  Sherriff  &  Co.,  started  for  himself  at  22  Exchange 
Street  and  continued  for  several  years  under  the  name 
of  Sherriff  &  Co.,  being  later  located  at  146  Washington 
Street,  and  not  long  after  that  time  I  think  he  went  out 
of  business. 

George  G.  Morris,  who  had  been  of  Eastham,  Harvey 
&  Morris,  was  in  business  for  four  or  five  years  after  1871 
on  F  Street. 

George  A.  White  &  Co.,  as  probable  successors  to  White, 
Munroe  &  Co.,  were  located  several  years  during  the 
sixties  at  25  Union  Street,  and  C.  C.  White  &  Co.  were 
for  a  short  time  in  1873  and  later,  at  22}/£  Exchange  Street. 


112  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

There  were  other  manufacturers  of  brushes  in  business 
for  a  short  time,  as  Hugh  Rock,  21  Exchange  Street, 
in  1846-7;  Thomas  Curran,  28  Exchange  Street,  1846-9; 
A.  R.  Davis,  Court  Street,  1851 ;  Charles  E.  Tyler,  from 
1858  to  1863,  at  94  Blackstone  Street  and  27  Exchange 
Street;  John  F.  Canning  &  Co.,  98  Sudbury  Street,  in 
1867;  George  T.  Reed  at  179  Washington  Street,  in  1869; 
Charles  Hall,  146  Washington  Street,  in  1871 ;  and  Daniel 
F.  Ryan,  9  Merchants  Row,  1881. 

George  Skilton,  who  afterwards  was  of  the  firm  of 
Doane  &  Skilton,  49  Water  Street,  began  business  in 
1845  at  19  Exchange  Street,  and  Willard  Knowles  was 
in  the  brush  business  at  the  same  location  at  about  the 
same  time.  Mr.  Skilton  was  afterwards  at  49  Water 
Street,  from  1852  to  the  time  he  became  a  partner  to  H. 
S.  Doane. 

It  is  singular  how  the  brush  trade  hovered  in  and 
around  Exchange  Street  which  is  only  a  very  short  street 
running  from  State  Street  to  Adams  Square.  The  first 
to  locate  there  was  John  Doane,  in  1830  at  No.  8,  and 
during  the  subsequent  eighty-four  years  there  have  been 
thirty  differently  named  firms  in  the  same  business, 
located  in  ten  different  stores  in  that  same  street. 
Now  there  is  only  one  remaining. 

Years  ago,  the  selling  of  paints,  oils,  and  drugs,  and 
also  window  glass,  by  the  same  men,  was  very  common, 
while  today,  as  a  rule,  very  few  jobbers  of  paints  and  oils 
are  handlers  to  any  great  extent  of  drugs  and  glass. 
In  this  sketch  I  shall  include  some  of  all,  not  only  from 
necessity  noted  above,  but  from  a  desire  also  to  make 
record  of  those  of  today  who  are  engaged  in  business 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES     113 

so  near  to  ours,  and  also,  indirectly,  some  other  allied 
lines,  as  dealers,  manufacturers,  and  brokers,  in  naphtha 
and  other  petroleum  products,  soft  oils,  alcohol,  tin  cans, 
sponges,  gold  leaf,  glues,  etc.,  all  of  which  articles  we 
are  obliged  to  purchase  from  time  to  time. 

Some  of  the  early  druggists  and  paint  dealers  I  have 
referred  to,  especially  those  early  ones,  who  were  long 
in  business  but  who  have  disappeared.  I  am  going  to 
refer  to  others  of  later  date,  some  being  yet  among  us, 
although  reduced  in  number  through  amalgamation 
and  purchase. 

The  present  Eastern  Drug  Co.,  Fulton,  Cross  and 
Barrett  Streets,  is  an  example  of  the  latter,  being  a  con- 
solidation effected  January  1,  1900,  of  the  old  firms  of 
Cutler  Bros.  &  Co.,  George  C.  Goodwin  &  Co.,  and  West 
&  Jenney,  and  the  purchase  outright  of  Rust  &  Richard- 
son Drug  Co. 

In  1825  the  business  of  the  first  named  firm  was  begun 
by  Abraham  T.  Lowe,  druggist,  on  Bowdoin  Row.  In 
1828  to  1838  it  was  Lowe  &  Reed  at  44  Hanover  Street, 
111  State  Street,  24  Merchants  Row,  and  54  Chatham 
Street.  In  1839  it  was  Reed,  Wing  &  Cutler  —  William 
J.  Cutler,  who  was  later  President  of  the  First  National 
Bank,  joining  the  firm  that  year.  In  1846  it  was  Reed 
&  Cutler,  and  about  1850  they  moved  to  33  India  Street. 
Later,  as  Reed,  Cutler  &  Co.,  they  were  for  many  years 
at  109-111  Broad  Street.  In  1872  it  was  Cutler  Bros. 
&  Co.,  composed  of  William  J.,  George,  and  E.  Waldo 
Cutler,  and  C.  E.  Barker,  located  at  89  Broad  Street. 
There  were  two  other  Cutler  brothers,  Abraham  Lowe 
and  Charles  Henry,  elsewhere  referred  to.  A  son  of 
William  J.  Cutler,  Mr.  Edward  H.  Cutler,  has  been  for 


114  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

many  years  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Noyes  Bros.  &  Cutler, 
St.  Paul,  Minnesota.  Mr.  Charles  F.  Cutler,  President 
of  the  Eastern  Drug  Co.,  is  a  son  of  George  Cutler,  and 
William  W.  Cutler,  the  Secretary,  is  son  of  E.  Waldo 
Cutler. 

George  C.  Goodwin  &  Co.,  the  second  of  the  consoli- 
dated firms,  was  started  by  George  C.  Goodwin  as  a 
druggist  in  1844,  at  76  Union  Street.  He  had  been 
employed  in  selling  friction  matches  on  his  own  account 
and  as  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Byam  &  Goodwin  in 
1840  —  Mr.  Byam  being  later  of  Byam,  Carleton  &  Co. 
In  1861  George  C.  Goodwin  &  Co.  were  at  15  Marshall 
Street,  and  in  1863  they  were  at  38  Hanover  Street, 
remaining  there  thirty-seven  years.  Mr.  C.  C.  Goodwin 
was  then  practically  the  sole  owner  and  upon  consolida- 
tion, became  the  first  President  of  the  Eastern  Drug  Co. 

In  1887  was  formed  at  59  Broad  Street,  corner  of  Milk 
Street,  the  firm  of  West  &  Jenney,  both  members  having 
begun  with  Cutler  Bros.  &  Co. —  Mr.  Charles  A.  West  in 
1867  and  Mr.  Bernard  Jenney,  Jr.,  in  1876.  From  the 
start  they  did  a  large  and  successful  business  and  at 
one  tune  were  important  factors  in  the  manufacture 
of  camphor.  In  1889  they  moved  to  99  Broad  Street 
and  305  Franklin  Street. 

The  present  officers  of  the  Eastern  Drug  Co.  are  Charles 
F.  Cutler,  President;  Charles  A.  West,  Vice-President ; 
Bernard  Jenney,  Jr.,  Treasurer;  William  W.  Cutler, 
Secretary.  The  business  has  been  largely  increased 
and  is  now  undoubtedly  the  largest  of  its  class  in  New 
England  and  has  been  uniformly  successful. 

The  Rust  &  Richardson  Drug  Co.,  located  at  43 
Hanover  Street  —  where  had  been  several  in  the  same 


*WILLIAM  J.  CUTLER  *SOLOMON  CARTER 

*HON.  JOHN  W.  CANDLER 
*ANDREW  G.  WEEKS  *CHARLES  P.  LAURIAT 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES     115 

line  —  was  successor  to  Rust  Bros.  &  Bird,  which  was 
an  outcome  of  Carter,  Rust  &  Co.,  referred  to  later. 
The  partners  of  this  second  named  firm  were  Nathaniel 
J.  Rust,  Dr.  William  Appleton  Rust,  and  John  L.  Bird. 
Mr.  William  W.  Cutler  married  a  daughter  of  N.  J. 
Rust.  In  selling  out  their  business  in  1900  to  the  newly 
formed  Eastern  Drug  Co.,  the  Rust  interests  disappeared 
from  the  drug  line,  with  which  it  had  been  identified  for 
thirty-seven  years. 

The  present  concern  of  Carter,  Carter  &  Meigs,  Merri- 
mac  Street,  near  Haymarket  Square,  was  founded  in 
1837  or  1838  by  Solomon  Carter,  who  had  a  drug  store 
on  Chambers  Street,  corner  of  Poplar  Street,  and  in 
1839  he  moved  to  Hanover  Street.  In  1845  it  was 
Carter  &  Wilson,  and  then  Carter,  Wilson  &  Co.  (John 
Wilson,  Jr.  and  D.  Fairbanks),  followed  about  1853  by 
Carter,  Colcord  &  Preston,  until  1862,  when  Mr.  Carter 
sold  out  to  S.  M.  Colcord  &  Co.,  the  latter  remaining 
at  the  old  store,  86  Hanover  Street,  corner  of  Portland 
Street.  In  1863  Mr.  Carter,  with  Nathaniel  J.  Rust, 
who  had  been  several  years  with  Weeks  &  Potter,  and 
who  was  succeeded  in  his  old  place  by  George  R.  White, 
formed  the  firm  of  Carter,  Rust  &  Co.,  which  continued 
three  or  four  years,  when  Mr.  Carter  withdrew  and 
formed  in  1864  the  firm  of  Carter  &  Wiley,  at  138  Washing- 
ton Street  and  Spring  Lane,  buying  out  John  Wilson, 
Jr.,  &  Co.,  successors  to  Wilson  &  Fairbanks.  Mr. 
Rust  continued  on  Hanover  Street  with  his  brother, 
William  A.  Rust,  and  John  L.  Bird,  as  Rust  Bros.  & 
Bird,  and  later  as  Rust  &  Richardson  Drug  Co.,  until 
January  1,  1900.  In  1874  it  was  Carter,  Harris  &  Hawley, 
174  Washington  Street,  or  356  as  renumbered. 


116  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

In  1885  or  1886  the  firm  of  Carter,  Carter  &  Kilham 
was  formed,  consisting  of  Solomon  Carter,  his  son,  Fred 
L.  Carter  (who  begun  with  the  concern  about  1866), 
and  C.  A.  Kilham,  at  the  old  location  on  Washington 
Street,  and  in  1894  they  moved  to  their  present  store, 
20  to  38  Merrimac  Street,  near  Haymarket  Square. 
In  1898,  Mr.  Kilham  having  withdrawn,  the  firm  name 
was  Carter,  Carter  &  Meigs,  consisting  of  Solomon 
Carter,  his  two  sons,  Fred  L.  and  Herbert  L.  Carter, 
and  Joseph  E.  Meigs.  Both  Fred  L.  Carter  and  Mr. 
Meigs  begun  with  Mr.  Solomon  Carter  about  forty- 
eight  years  ago. 

In  1906  the  concern  was  incorporated  under  the  same 
name  and  the  same  able  and  successful  management 
was  continued.  Early  this  year  of  1914  Mr.  Fred  L. 
Carter,  in  order  to  lessen  business  cares,  sold  the  control 
to  Brewer  &  Co.  of  Worcester,  but  still  holds  an  interest 
and  the  position  of  Treasurer.  The  present  officers 
are  as  follows:  Howard  D.  Brewer,  President;  Joseph 
E.  Meigs,  Secretary;  Thomas  F.  Mullen,  first  Vice-Presi- 
dent; Fred  L.  Carter,  Jr.,  second  Vice-President ;  Fred 
L.  Carter,  Treasurer,  and  Newton  C.  Smith,  Assistant 
Treasurer.  Mr.  Herbert  L.  Carter  retired  from  active 
business  several  years  ago.  I  well  remember,  more  than 
forty  years  ago,  Mr.  Solomon  Carter,  with  very  slight, 
rather  stooping  form,  when  he  was  located  on  Washington 
Street  and  Spring  Lane. 

Ralph  P.  Hoagland  was  at  one  time  quite  a  factor 
in  the  drug  and  patent  medicine  business,  and  also 
manufacturing  of  shellac,  and  for  several  years  was  at 
75  to  79  Portland  Street.  He  later,  with  Harry  K.  Mans- 
field, formed  the  firm  of  Hoagland  &  Mansfield,  for  the 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES      117 

wholesaling  of  drugs,  patent  medicines,  and  shellacs, 
on  Canal  Street,  corner  of  Traverse.  Later  the  drug 
stock  was  sold  to  the  Eastern  Drug  Co.,  and  the  manu- 
facturing of  shellac  was  continued  by  Hoagland-Curtis 
Drug  Co.,  and  the  business  is  now  conducted  by  Ralph 
P.  Hoagland  alone  at  69  Beverly  Street. 

The  firm  of  Weeks  &  Potter  was  formed  in  1852  by 
Andrew  G.  Weeks  and  Warren  B.  Potter  at  154,  later 
176,  and  renumbered  as  360  Washington  Street.  Mr. 
Weeks  had  been  for  several  years  a  clerk  for  Seth  W. 
Fowle,  138  and  170  Washington  Street,  which  concern 
is  still  doing  business  in  Boston  at  164  Federal  Street  as 
Seth  W.  Fowle  &  Sons.  Andrew  G.  Weeks,  Jr.,  went 
with  Weeks  &  Potter  on  his  leaving  college  in  1882, 
and  on  its  incorporation  became  Vice-President  and 
General  Manager,  until  the  closing  out  of  the  business 
about  1901  —  the  stocks  of  goods  being  bought  by 
Raymond. 

The  Potter  Drug  &  Chemical  Co.  had  been  previously 
formed  to  continue  the  manufacturing  end  of  the  busi- 
ness, particularly  "Cuticura"  and  the  controlling  factor 
in  same  today  is  Mr.  George  R.  White,  who  enjoys  the 
distinction  of  being  the  largest  individual  tax  payer  in 
Boston.  Both  Mr.  Potter  and  Mr.  Weeks,  Sr.,  died 
several  years  ago  —  the  latter  in  1903. 

The  house  of  Gilman  Bros,  was  established  May  1, 
1863,  at  109  Milk  Street,  the  partners  being  Gorham  D., 
Samuel  K.,  and  John  A.  Gilman.  They  were  burned 
out  in  the  big  fire  of  1872,  and  went  for  a  year  or  so  to 
22  Custom  House  Street,  removing  in  1874  to  307  Wash- 
ington Street,  as  renumbered  in  1876.  Since  January 
1,  1894,  they  have  been  at  50  Franklin  Street. 


118          HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

They  now  are  a  corporation,  formed  January  1, 1913,  the 
present  officers  being  John  A.  Gilman,  President;  Clarence 
E.  Hope,  first  Vice-President ;  B.  Frank  Swan,  second  Vice- 
President;  A.  Henry  Smith,  Treasurer;  D.  G.  Burr, 
Assistant  Treasurer;  and  Edward  F.  Glavin,  Secretary. 
Samuel  K.  Gilman  died  in  1880.  Hon.  Gorham  D.  Gil- 
man, who  had  served  in  the  Legislature  as  Representative 
and  Senator,  died  in  October,  1910.  Mr.  John  A.  Gilman 
is  still  active  and  can  boast  of  more  than  fifty-one  years 
of  continuous  service  —  but  he  is  not  one  of  the  boasting 
kind. 

In  1873  was  formed  the  firm  of  Smith,  Doolittle  & 
Smith,  at  26  Tremont  Row  — Mr.  A.  C.  Smith  of  the 
firm  had  been  for  several  years  in  the  employ  of  Gilman 
Bros.  This  firm  continued  until  about  1886,  when  the 
style  was  Doolittle  &  Smith,  composed  of  E.  H.  Doolittle 
and  A.  C.  Smith;  the  other  Mr.  Smith  died  about  1887. 
From  1890  to  1893  it  was  Smith,  Benedict  &  Co.,  and 
shortly  after  this  date  the  firm  retired  from  business. 

Just  above  our  old  Water  Street  store,  William  A.  Bangs 
&  Co.  were  located  in  1868,  and  they  were  dealers  in 
drugs,  dyestuffs,  etc.  It  had  previously  been  Porter, 
Loring  &  Co.,  composed  of  Thomas  C.  Porter,  Gay  ton 
P.  Loring,  and  William  Babson,  in  1851,  and  before 
that,  Porter  &  Caswell  at  11  India  Street,  1849.  I  re- 
member both  Mr.  Loring  and  Mr.  Porter,  the  latter 
I  think  being  later  of  Gushing,  Porter  &  Cades,  and  in 
1894  it  was  T.  C.  Porter  &  Co.  at  165  Milk  Street. 

Mr.  Edward  F.  Porter  was  a  dealer  in  dyestuffs  and 
I  think  he,  with  several  others,  including  Gayton  P. 
Loring,  were  the  original  ones  in  forming  the  Boston 
Dyewood  &  Chemical  Co.,  who  before  the  Boston  Fire, 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       119 

were  located  at  116  Milk  Street,  and  after  rebuilding 
came  back  to  Milk  Street,  near  the  original  location. 

The  Avery  Chemical  Co.  have  been  established  a  num- 
ber of  years  and  at  present  have  offices  at  No.  88  Broad 
Street,  their  factory  being  in  Lowell.  They  manufacture 
a  large  variety  of  chemicals,  including  ammonia,  bi- 
sulphide of  soda,  and  chromium  products,  and  are  prob- 
ably the  largest  manufacturers  of  lactic  acids  in  the  world. 

They  also  are  agents  for  a  brand  of  Silica,  which  is  sold 
to  paint  manufacurers  and  they  are  also  jobbers  in  drugs, 
naval  stores,  etc.  The  officers  are  Alan  A.  Claflin,  Presi- 
dent, and  Stanley  E.  Faithfull,  Treasurer. 

For  nearly  fifty  years  B.  0.  &  G.  C.  Wilson  were 
botanical  druggists  at  18  Central  Street,  28  Merchants 
Row,  and  46  Canal  Street. 

Heath,  Cheney  &  Co.  began  at  40  Hanover  Street.  For 
the  last  forty-four  years  they  have  been  at  15  Union 
Street,  under  various  names,  as  Cheney,  Myrick  &  Co., 
Cheney,  Myrick  &  Hobbs,  Cheney,  Myrick,  Hobbs  & 
Horton,  and  now  G.  S.  Cheney  Co. 

John  F.  Neill  has  been  in  the  drug  business  for  many 
years  at  19  Union  Street. 

William  H.  Swift  was  well  known  in  the  chemical 
and  color  business  from  his  entry  as  of  the  firm  of  Hood, 
Swift  &  Co.  at  12  India  Street  in  1871,  to  his  death  in 
1899.  In  1873  it  was  William  H.  Swift  &  Co.,  the 
junior  partners  being  J.  H.  Lombard  and  C.  Linzee 
Tilden  —  Mr.  Lombard  having  been  in  the  original 
firm.  In  1875  Mr.  Lombard  retired  and  removal  was 
made  to  209  State  Street  and  later  to  117  Milk  Street. 
They  had  close  business  relations  with  J.  A.  &  W.  Bird 


120          HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

&  Co.,  the  latter  firm  at  one  time  having  been  selling 
agents  for  the  Boston  Color  Co.,  owned  by  W.  H.  Swift 
&  Co.,  factory  in  East  Boston.  I  think  the  latter  firm 
were  about  the  earliest  manufacturers  of  Paris  Green  in 
New  England  as  they  were  of  Swift's  Arsenate  of  Lead, 
now  so  well  known  throughout  this  portion  of  our  country. 
They  had  a  factory  in  New  Durham,  N.  H.,  for  manu- 
facture of  chemicals,  the  Boston  office  after  1891  being 
45  Pearl  Street.  Not  long  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Swift 
in  May,  1899,  the  business  was  sold  to  the  Merrimac 
Chemical  Co.  Mr.  C.  L.  Tilden  died  in  1906. 

The  Merrimac  Chemical  Co.  was  formed  November 
27,  1863,  the  first  President,  I  think,  being  John  W. 
Candler  and  the  Treasurer,  Charles  D.  Kellogg,  who 
was  a  commission  merchant  at  29  India  Street.  The 
other  Directors  were  Robert  B.  Eaton,  who  had  been  a 
partner  in  the  firm  of  Eaton,  Hill  &  Candler,  and  William 
L.  Candler  of  John  W.  Candler  &  Bros.,  44  Central 
Street.  In  1868  the  Company  was  at  225  State  Street 
where  also  Foster,  Candler  &  Co.  were  located,  and  the 
Treasurer  then  was  George  G.  Granger.  Later  A.  P. 
and  C.  T.  Howard  were  connected  with  the  company 
and  the  office  in  1874  was  at  19  Doane  Street.  The 
factories  are  at  South  Wilmington,  and  through  large 
increase  of  business  have  become  very  extensive,  num- 
bering forty  buildings  on  both  sides  of  the  tracks 
of  the  Boston  &  Maine  R.R.  The  present  officers  are 
S.  W.  Wilder,  President  and  Treasurer;  Henry  Howard, 
Vice-President  and  Superintendent;  and  W.  F.  Oburg, 
Assistant  Treasurer.  Mr.  W.  F.  Oburg  was  formerly 
with  William  H.  Swift  &  Co.  The  present  offices  of 
the  Company  are  at  33  Broad  Street. 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       121 

The  business  of  the  present  very  large  Cochrane 
Chemical  Co.  was  originated,  I  think,  by  Alexander 
Cochrane  &  Co.  in  South  Maiden  (now  Everett)  in  1858, 
probably  near  where  the  present  extensive  factory 
buildings  and  wharves  of  the  Company  are  now  located. 
Their  first  Boston  office  was  at  19  Broad  Street  and  for 
many  years  they  were  at  55  Kilby  Street.  The  firm  was 
succeeded  by  the  Corporation  of  Cochrane  Chemical 
Co.,  formed  January  15,  1883,  the  officers  then  being 
Alexander  Cochrane,  President  and  Treasurer;  Hugh 
Cochrane,  Vice-President ;  and  Edward  Gay,  Clerk.  Mr. 
Gay  —  my  old  and  respected  Maiden  neighbor  —  is  still 
with  the  Company,  but  not  so  active  as  formerly,  after 
fifty  years  of  business  life.  Mr.  Gay  had  been  in  1865 
and  several  years  after,  of  the  large  woolen  firm  of  Smith 
Bros.  &  Gay.  Colonel  Hugh  Cochrane,  who  had  been 
prominent  in  many  walks  of  life,  died  January  11,  1904. 
The  present  officers  are  Alexander  Cochrane,  President; 
F.  Douglas  Cochrane,  Vice-President;  and  Lindsley 
Loring,  Treasurer.  Mr.  Alexander  Cochrane's  life  has 
been  one  of  great  activity  and  success  and  he  has  filled 
many  prominent  positions  with  signal  ability. 

Before  the  days  of  denatured  alcohol,  the  old  firm  of 
Dexter  T.  Mills  &  Co.  supplied  a  large  share  of  the  pure 
alcohol  to  the  Boston  dealers.  Mr.  Mills  begun  business 
in  1850  as  a  broker  in  the  Old  State  House,  and  a  little 
later  as  burning  fluid  and  oil  dealer  on  Custom  House 
Street.  In  the  early  days  of  the  Civil  War  he  made  a 
great  deal  of  money  in  alcohol,  through  the  great  increase 
in  excise  tax.  Both  Mr.  Mills  and  the  junior  partner, 
Isaac  R.  Stearns,  (who  died  August  10,  1883,  aged  forty- 


122  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

one  years),  will  be  remembered  by  many  of  us,  as  will 
Mr.  P.  P.  Barnes  who,  I  think,  died  some  two  or  three 
years  ago. 

John  Tracy  &  Co.  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  had  a  store  here 
at  81  Broad  Street  for  many  years,  managed  by  Daniel 
A.  Patch,  who  sold  large  quantities  of  alcohol,  before 
and  after  the  war. 

Later  the  Empire  Distilling  Co.  did  a  large  business  in 
pure  alcohol,  and  are  still  in  Boston  at  118  Purchase  Street. 

The  names  of  Trull,  Felton,  Chapin  and  Chase,  will 
also  be  recalled  in  this  connection  with  old  days  of  pure 
alcohol.  Chester  H.  Graves  was  a  distiller  of  pure 
alcohol  as  early  as  1863,  and  the  concern  of  C.  H.  Graves 
&  Sons  still  manufactures  and  sells  the  genuine  article 
as  does  the  Purity  Distilling  Company  of  Cambridge. 

Wood  alcohol  and  especially  denatured  alcohol  have 
largely  taken  the  place  of  pure  alcohol  in  our  business 
and  the  handlers  of  the  latter  in  quantities,  as  representing 
manufacturers,  are  Martin  Thayer  &  Sons,  and  J.  A.  & 
W.  Bird  &  Co.,  also  the  Purity  Distilling  Co.,  Eastern 
Drug  Co.,  and  Howe  &  French.  Mr.  Thayer,  Sr.,  was 
a  fine  old  gentleman,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 
He  died  January  17,  1909,  aged  seventy-two  years.  His 
son,  Mr.  Arthur  W.  Thayer,  is  the  Boston  representative 
at  the  present  time,  with  office  at  229  Milk  Street. 

Probably  the  earliest  refiner  in  New  England  of  mineral 
illuminating  oil,  was  Samuel  Downer  of  Hingham,  who 
was  junior  partner  in  the  firm  of  Downer,  Austin  &  Co., 
sperm  oil  and  candles,  at  27  Broad  Street,  in  the  early 
forties.  He  was  owner  of  the  public  resort  known  as 
Downer's  Landing,  so  famous  thirty  or  forty  years  ago. 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       123 

He  formed  the  Downer  Kerosene  Oil  Co.,  and  owned 
for  many  years,  I  think,  with  the  Portland  Kerosene 
Oil  Co.,  the  exclusive  right  to  use  the  name  of  Kerosene. 
This  was  advertised  by  him  as  far  back  as  1857  or  1858, 
when  his  store  was  on  Water  Street,  above  Kilby  Street, 
and  later  he  was  at  104  and  108  Water  Street,  where 
the  O'Brion-Russell  &  Company's  Insurance  Agency 
is  now  located.  William  B.  Merrill  was  the  selling  agent 
and  a  very  important  appearing  man,  as  I  recall.  His 
brother,  Joshua  Merrill,  was  superintendent  of  the  South 
Boston  factory  and  another  brother,  J.  Sanborn  Merrill, 
was  one  of  the  firm  of  Smith  &  Merrill,  while  still  another 
one  was  Rufus  S.  Merrill,  who  was  an  oil  dealer  on  Water 
Street  in  1863,  and  who  invented  a  celebrated  kerosene 
oil  burner,  called  the  "Star, "  about  1869. 

Three  of  these  Merrill  brothers  had  been  in  the  wall- 
paper business  on  Blackstone  Street  in  1850-52,  the 
first  firm  being  Jacob  S.  Merrill  and  Joshua.  Joshua 
retired  in  1852  and  William  B.  Merrill  took  his  place, 
the  firm  name  still  being  Merrill  Bros.  A  dozen  or 
fifteen  years  later  and  for  quite  a  time  afterwards,  J. 
Sanborn  Merrill  &  Son  carried  on  the  wall  paper  and 
paper  hanging  business  at  17  Hanover  Street. 

Many  of  the  trade  will  remember  Mr.  Thomas  W.  Neal 
and  later  his  son,  Frank  K.  Neal,  who  did  the  trucking 
of  the  Downer  Company  and  later  for  Martin  Thayer 
&  Sons,  in  the  distribution  of  wood  and  denatured 
alcohol. 

The  business  of  the  Jenney  Mfg.  Co.,  petroleum  refiners, 
whose  office  is  at  8  India  Street  and  146  Milk  Street, 
with  factory  at  South  Boston,  was  begun  in  1812,  when 
Isaac  and  Stephen  Jenney  started  at  50  State  Street, 


124  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

where  Lee,  Higginson  &  Co.  are  now  located,  and  they 
remained  there  five  years,  when  they  removed  to  8 
Central  Wharf.  Mr.  Stephen  Jenney  later  continued 
alone,  remaining  at  this  location  twenty-two  years,  when 
he  removed  to  46  India  Street,  remaining  there  from 
1839  to  1879,  when  removal  was  made  to  the  present 
location,  so  that  during  a  hundred  and  two  years,  Mr. 
Stephen  Jenney  and  his  descendants  of  the  same  name, 
had  occupied  but  four  stores.  The  business  was  originally 
West  India  goods  and  sperm  oils,  Mr.  Jenney  being  for 
quite  a  time  connected  with  the  Nantucket  and  New 
Bedford  Packet  Line.  The  factory  in  South  Boston  was 
at  first  used  as  a  distillery  for  refining  camphene  and 
alcohol  for  manufacturing  into  burning  fluids,  and  doubt- 
less my  father's  concern  had  these  products  made  by  Mr. 
Bernard  Jenney  as  far  back  as  1856,  when  Mr.  Jenney 
started  business,  and  the  selling  was  done  by  Mr.  Stephen 
Jenney  and  Mr.  Charles  S.  Jenney,  who  joined  the 
business  in  1862.  As  nearly  as  I  can  ascertain  Mr. 
Jenney  begun  the  manufacture  of  oil  in  1861  and  my 
father  bought  some  from  him  in  October,  1861.  He 
brought  the  crude  oil  in  barrels  from  Pennsylvania  to 
South  Boston. 

Mr.  Charles  S.  Jenney  died  hi  January,  1876,  aged 
fifty-four  years  —  a  good  business  man  and  a  square 
man.  His  father,  Stephen  Jenney,  died  on  June  5,  1877, 
aged  eighty-six  years,  having  been  born  August  31, 
1791.  Another  brother,  Noah  S.  Jenney,  who  for  many 
years  was  secretary  of  the  Boylston  Insurance  Co., 
took  the  place  of  Mr.  Charles  S.  Jenney,  and  on  the  for- 
mation of  the  Corporation  of  the  Jenney  Mfg.  Co.  in 
1884,  he  was  elected  Treasurer,  continuing  until  his  death 


*STEPHEN  JENNEY  BERNARD  JENNEY 

EDWARD  J.  DILLAWAY 
CHARLES  F.  RICHARDSON  I.  H.  WILEY 


PAINT,  OIL,  VAENISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES     125 

about  1890.  Mr.  Francis  H.  Jenney,  another  brother, 
who  was  for  years  connected  with  William  B.  Bacon, 
of  22  Centra]  Street,  one  of  Boston's  large  merchants, 
and  father  of  former  Ambassador  Robert  Bacon,  was  also 
largely  interested  financially  in  the  Jenney  business. 
He  died  December  12,  1893.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Noah 
S.  Jenney,  Mr.  Edward  J.  Dillaway,  who  came  to  work 
for  Mr.  Jenney  in  1868,  was  elected  Treasurer,  and  holds 
the  position  at  the  present  time  —  and  he  fills  it  too, 
for  there  are  very  few  better  men  living  than  E.  J.  Dilla- 
way, and  I  know  it,  after  forty-six  years  of  intimate 
friendship.  He  is  genial,  able,  and  faithful,  and  very 
active  in  the  Baptist  Church  in  Maiden,  and  has  hosts 
of  friends  in  that  city,  where  we  both  have  lived  for 
very  many  years.  Too  often  expressions  like  these  are 
left  until  a  man  dies.  Why  not  when  one  is  living? 
Mr.  Bernard  Jenney  is  still  living  and  is  President  of  the 
corporation  and  has  always  been  an  honored,  successful, 
and  active  man,  although  now  more  than  eighty-seven 
years  old.  He  was  born  in  Boston  in  a  house  located 
where  the  building  of  the  Telephone  Co.  now  stands, 
corner  of  Milk  and  Oliver  Streets.  His  son,  Walter 
Jenney,  is  Vice-President  and  superintendent  of  the 
factory,  and  he  came  with  the  Company  on  his  graduation 
from  the  Institute  of  Technology  in  1878.  Mr.  H. 
Chester  Howe  is  Secretary. 

Mr.  Stephen  Jenney  was  a  very  precise  little  old  gentle- 
man of  the  old  school  and  probably  didn't  weigh  over 
one  hundred  pounds.  I  can  remember  him  perfectly 
well,  when  on  two  occasions  prior  to  1863  my  father 
took  me  to  his  office,  Mr.  Jenney  gave  me  at  one  time 
a  balloon,  and  another  a  wonderful  spinning  top  which 


126          HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

would  "go"  four  or  five  minutes,  and  you  know  these 
things  please  boys  very  much,  and  the  gifts  were  an  index 
to  the  kindly  heart  of  the  old  gentleman.  Later  I  saw 
him  very  many  times  up  to  his  death  in  1877.  In  his  later 
years  he  kept  a  separate  set  of  books,  in  extremely  fine 
hand  writing,  which  he  thought  of  value,  and  he  was 
humored  in  the  idea. 

I  have  given  considerable  space  to  the  above  named 
parties  for  I  feel  that  it  is  due  them  and  will  be  interesting 
reading  to  many,  for  this  concern  is  the  only  surviving 
one  of  the  many  local  petroleum  refining  companies 
which  were  in  existence  forty  to  fifty-five  years  ago. 

I  will  refer  to  some  of  the  old  companies,  among  them 
being  the  Oriental  Coal  Oil  Co.,  of  which  James  Adams 
was  Treasurer,  and  later  the  business  was  run  as  the 
Oriental  Oil  Co.,  with  W.  &  H.  F.  Whittemore  as  selling 
agents  at  32  Broad  Street.  Their  factory  was  located 
in  Charlestown,  near  the  Chelsea  Bridge,  where  the  public 
recreation  grounds  are  now. 

The  Maverick  Oil  Works  were  located  in  East  Boston, 
I  think  near  where  the  storage  tanks  and  warehouses 
of  the  Standard  Oil  Co.  now  are,  the  latter  concern 
having  bought  out  the  business  more  than  thirty  years 
ago.  The  original  concern  was  Wilkinson,  Carter  & 
Yeomans  hi  the  early  sixties,  and  their  Boston  office 
was  31  India  Street.  Later  it  was  Wilkinson,  Carter 
&  Co.,  and  about  1874  or  1875  it  was  Carter,  Winsor 
&  Co.,  the  partners  being  Mr.  Charles  M.  Carter  and 
Gershom  C.  Winsor,  who  had  retired  from  J.  A.  &  W. 
Bird  &  Co.  When  the  Standard  Oil  Co.  purchased  this 
Company,  the  business  was  carried  along  under  the 
same  name  and  Mr.  Carter  became  manager  of  the 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       127 

domestic  business,  Deloraine  P.  Corey  being  Treasurer, 
at  61  Broad  Street,  corner  of  Milk  Street. 

Mr.  Benjamin  Vaughan,  aided  by  his  cousin,  Abbot  A. 
Vaughan,  had  charge  of  the  export  department,  under  the 
name  of  the  Beacon  Oil  Co.,  at  Broad  Street,  corner  of 
Water  Street,  which  concern  had  been  owned  by  Kidder, 
Vaughan  &  Co.,  and  was  sold  to  the  Standard  Oil  Co. 
many  years  ago.  Kidder,  Vaughan  &  Co.  were  at  42 
India  Street  in  the  sixties.  Mr.  Jerome  G.  Kidder  was 
in  the  general  oil  business  at  4  South  Market  Street  as 
early  as  1844.  Both  of  the  Messrs.  Vaughan  are  dead, 
Mr.  Benjamin  Vaughan  dying  within  a  year  or  so,  leaving 
very  large  estate.  Many  of  us  will  remember  them  and 
also  their  head  clerk,  Mr.  Warland,  and  later,  Mr.  Harry 
Mann. 

Another  concern  manufacturing  naphtha  and  oils,  was 
that  of  Abijah  Farrar  &  Co.,  who  had  an  office  on  India 
Street  in  1866  and  1867,  with  factory  at  East  Boston, 
and  up  to  1875  were  at  7  Central  Street.  Mr.  Farrar 
had  been  in  the  wholesale  grocery  firm  of  Dana,  Farrar 
&  Hyde.  Later,  Farrar,  Pierce  &  Canterbury  were  at 
39  India  Street.  The  business  was  finally  disposed  of 
to  the  Standard  Oil  Co.,  and  Mr.  Farrar  and  Mr.  Pierce 
retired,  and  Mr.  William  H.  Canterbury  has  ever  since 
been  with  the  Standard  Oil  people. 

The  Standard  Oil  Co.  is  too  well  known  to  require 
more  than  mere  reference.  There  can  be  no  denial  of 
the  fact  that  the  organization  has  been  a  most  wonderful 
one  and  while  doubtless  individuals  have  suffered  in 
the  process,  the  material  advancement  of  the  country, 
through  the  remarkable  development  of  resources  and 
utilization  of  what  were  waste  products,  has  been  without 


128          HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

doubt  one  of  the  greatest  forces  in  the  last  forty  years, 
as  well  as  one  of  the  most  interesting. 

Mr.  Carter  died  fifteen  or  more  years  ago,  leaving  a 
large  estate,  Mr.  Corey  being  executor.  Mr.  Corey 
who  was  well-known  in  connection  with  genealogical 
and  historical  matters,  having  written  a  very  complete 
History  of  Maiden,  died  about  1809.  The  general 
Boston  offices  of  the  Company  are  at  50  Congress  Street, 
specialty  departments  being  located  at  59  Commer- 
cial Wharf  and  88  Broad  Street.  The  present  manager 
is  Howard  A.  Wilkinson  who  took  the  position  on  the 
death  of  Donald  McMillan,  who  succeeded  the  second 
manager,  Mr.  William  Donald. 

Other  large  petroleum  concerns  now  represented  here 
are  the  Gulf  Refining  Co.,  110  State  Street,  the  Texas 
Company,  146  Summer  Street,  with  storage  tanks  in 
Roxbury,  and  the  Tidewater  Oil  Co.,  who  were  for  many 
years  at  5  and  9  Custom  House  Street  and  now  have  an 
office  at  34  Central  Wharf,  and  the  Vacuum  Oil  Co.  at 
49  Federal  Street,  and  Leonard  &  Ellis  were  large  dealers 
for  many  years. 

There  were  also  other  companies  making  oil  from  coal 
oil,  like  the  Winthrop  Coal  Oil  Co.,  The  Gary  Oil  Co., 
The  Shawmut  Oil  Co.,  controlled  by  George  P.  Reed, 
95  Water  Street,  the  selling  agent  being  Mr.  Granville 
Mears,  who  was  in  the  oil  business  on  Water  Street  as 
early  as  1851,  and  later  was  associated  for  many  years 
on  Water  Street  with  his  brother,  E.  Raymond  Mears. 

My  father's  early  connection,  in  the  sixties,  with  the 
fluid  and  illuminating  oil  business  naturally  brought  me 
as  a  boy  more  in  contact  with  them  than  with  paint 
people,  and  this  is  my  excuse  for  being  somewhat  prolix 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       129 

in  regard  to  these  matters,  which,  however,  may  be 
of  enough  interest  to  put  on  record  at  this  time.  My 
memory  carries  me  back  to  these  days  of  forty  odd  years 
ago,  and  a  brief  reference  to  some  of  the  oil  concerns 
existing  about  that  time  may  not  be  out  of  place,  inas- 
much as  this  sketch  really  treats  of  paint,  oil,  and  varnish 
business,  although  literally,  probably  linseed  oil  was 
meant. 

The  house  of  Milliken  was  in  evidence  fifty  to  seventy 
years  ago,  and  indeed,  prior  to  that  time,  when  the  first 
house  that  I  can  find  was  Rufus  G.  Norris  &  Co.,  Mr. 
E.  C.  Milliken  being  the  partner,  in  1839,  at  21  North 
Market  Street.  Two  years  later  it  was  Norris  &  Milliken, 
and  in  1844  it  was  E.  C.  Milliken  &  Co.,  composed  of 
E.  C.  and  E.  T.  Milliken,  and  still  located  at  21  North 
Market  Street,  and  in  1850  they  were  at  28  India  Street. 
Later  they  separated,  and  E.  C.  Milliken  &  Co.  were 
in  1851  at  28  India  Street,  and  in  1852  located  at  4  Canal 
Street,  running  back  to  12  Merrimac  Street,  where  Mr. 
Milliken  owned  much  real  estate.  E.  T.  Milliken  & 
Co.,  composed  of  E.  T.  Milliken,  Z.  T.  Milliken,  and  M. 
C.  Smith,  were  in  1851  on  North  Market  Street.  In 
1876  E.  T.  Milliken  &  Co.  were  at  61  Broad  Street, 
when  Mr.  Henry  S.  Macomber  became  a  partner.  Later 
the  firm  dissolved  and  discontinued  and  Mr.  Macomber 
became  a  partner  in  Alden  Speare's  Sons  &  Co.  and  since 
1893  (when  he  formed  the  present  firm  of  H.  S.  Macomber 
&  Co.),  has  been  an  honored  member  of  the  oil  business 
up  to  the  present  time,  being  located  at  150  Milk  Street, 
formerly  3  Central  Wharf,  the  firm  name  being  H.  S. 
Macomber  &  Co.  Of  late  years  his  son,  Mr.  Lowell 
P.  Macomber,  has  been  associated  with  his  father,  and 


130  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

they  have  enlarged  their  business  to  include  automobile 
supplies  of  all  kinds,  as  well  as  oils  and  greases. 

Southard,  Herbert  &  Co.  were  located  at  27  Broad 
Street  for  very  many  years,  from  1860,  succeeding  Z. 
Southard  &  Co.,  who  were  at  20  Broad  Street  in  1850. 

Alden  Speare  started  in  the  oil  business  August  1, 
1851,  having  been  previously  a  salesman  at  29  Federal 
Street,  then  it  was  Speare,  Burke  &  Co.,  and  in  1852 
they  were  at  29  India  Street.  Later,  it  was  Speare, 
Burke  &  Gregory  at  3  Central  Wharf,  where  they  re- 
mained for  years.  In  1870  it  was  Speare,  Gregory  & 
Co.,  the  junior  partner  being  H.  B.  Coburn,  formerly 
of  Lowell,  who  later  was  in  business  for  himself.  Later 
it  was  Alden  Speare,  Sons  &  Co.,  with  office  in  Chamber 
of  Commerce  building.  Alden  Speare's  Sons  Co.,  a  cor- 
poration, was  formed  in  1898  when  they  were  at  369 
Atlantic  Avenue.  At  the  present  time  they  are  located 
at  156  Sixth  Street,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  with  large  offices 
and  warehouses  for  their  extensive  business  in  oils,  mill, 
laundry,  and  auto  supplies.  Alden  Speare  was  Mayor 
of 'Newton  in  1876  and  for  several  years  he  was  Director 
in  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  &  Santa  Fe  R.R.,  the  Mexican 
Central,  and  other  large  corporations.  He  also  was 
President  of  the  Boston  Associated  Board  of  Trade 
and  Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  died  in  Newton,  March 
28,  1902.  The  present  officers  of  the  Corporation  are 
Lewis  R.  Speare,  President;  E.  Ray  Speare,  Treasurer; 
and  W.  D.  Stockbridge,  Vice-President. 

Eben  Seccomb  was  in  business  as  far  back  as  1854, 
under  the  name  of  Seccomb  &  Taylor,  at  130  Commercial 
Street.  The  next  year,  1855,  it  was  Seccomb  &  Dennis, 
when  Mr.  Edward  S.  Thayer  went  to  work  for  Eben 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES     131 

Seccomb  as  a  boy,  and  in  1865  Mr.  Thayer  was  a  partner 
at  101  Commercial  Street,  as  Seccomb  &  Thayer.  Later 
it  was  Seccomb,  Kehew  &  Thayer.  Mr.  Thayer  is  still 
active  and  is  certainly  a  veteran  in  business,  it  being 
about  fifty-nine  years  since  he  entered  same,  and  he  is 
also  connected  with  the  Plymouth  Cordage  Co.  He  is 
a  neighbor  of  mine  in  Topsfield,  and  is  a  well  preserved 
man  of  aggressive  and  respected  personality. 

The  present  corporation  of  Kehew-Bradley  Co.,  located 
at  24  Purchase  Street,  with  branch  depot  in  Salem,  of 
which  Edward  0.  Seccomb  (son  of  Eben  Seccomb)  is 
Treasurer,  is  the  successor  to  Seccomb-Kehew  &  Co., 
and  Allen-Bradley  Co. 

One  of  the  prominent  firms  at  my  advent  into  the  busi- 
ness was  that  in  which  Edward  N.  Capen  was  interested, 
the  first  partnership  being  Bowland,  Capen  &  Co.,  in 
1865  at  6  Custom  House  Street,  although  Mr.  Capen  was 
a  commission  merchant  in  1863  at  81  Milk  Street  and 
agent  for  the  Aladdin  Oil  Co.  Later  it  was,  about  1869, 
Capen  &  Pierce,  and  from  1877  to  1902  or  1903  Capen, 
Sprague  &  Co.  Mr.  Capen  later  associated  himself 
with  the  Standard  Oil  Co.,  and  is  located  there  today, 
so  that  he  has  been  fifty-one  years  in  the  oil  business. 
The  old  business  was  continued  for  several  years  until 
the  death  of  the  remaining  partner,  Mr.  C.  G.  B.  Smith, 
who  died  some  ten  or  twelve  years  ago. 

A.  C.  Masury  begun  business  as  Main  &  Masury  in 
1857  at  1  India  Street.  In  1860  it  was  A.  C.  Masury 
&  Co.,  Mr.  W.  A.  Wheeler  being  the  junior  partner,  and 
for  a  long  time  they  were  at  28  India  Street.  Mr. 
Masury  died  about  1892  and  Mr.  Young  about  1900, 
but  their  successors,  the  present  corporation  of  Masury- 


132          HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

Young  Co.,  still  carry  on  the  oil  business,  removing  in 
1898  from  77  Broad  Street,  where  they  were  for  many 
years,  to  196  Milk  Street,  old  Central  Wharf.  Mr. 
William  C.  Briggs  is  President  and  Treasurer  and  Mr. 
E.  M.  Alexander,  Vice-President  and  Secretary.  They 
formerly  owned  the  India  Alkali  Works,  but  control  was 
relinquished  on  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Young,  and  this 
last  named  concern  removed  in  1898  to  28  India  Wharf, 
where  they  are  now  located.  They  manufacture  alkali 
and  cleaning  powders  of  various  descriptions,  including 
the  well-known  specialty,  Savogran.  Mr.  Llewellyn 
Mills  is  President  and  Mr.  Charles  F.  Stodder,  Treasurer. 

William  Lincoln  and  Caleb  A.  Smith  were  in  the  oil 
business  prior  to  1863  at  17  Central  Street,  and  later, 
in  1867,  it  was  Smith,  Merrill  &  Co.,  composed  of  Caleb 
A.  Smith,  J.  Sanborn  Merrill,  and  Daniel  Curry,  at  55 
India  Street.  The  next  year  it  was  Smith  &  Merrill 
at  6  and  8  Liberty  Square,  Mr.  Daniel  Curry  having 
retired  and  engaged  in  the  oil  business  on  his  own  account, 
which  was  subsequently  carried  on  by  his  son,  Charles 
W.  Curry,  and  today  by  his  grandsons,  as  the  Curry 
Bros.  Oil  Co.  at  284  Franklin  Street.  In  1872  Mr. 
Smith,  I  think,  was  of  Smith  &  Davis,  near  Liberty 
Square,  and  six  years  later  Mr.  Smith's  son,  Winchester 
Smith,  carried  on  the  business  quite  successfully,  and 
today  he  is  a  neighbor  of  mine  in  the  town  of  Middleton, 
Mass.,  adjoining  Topsfield. 

Mr.  Charles  A.  Whittemore  started  in  the  oil  business 
at  31  India  Street  in  1880,  and  a  little  later  Edwin  F. 
Melcher  of  Newton  Center  was  his  partner.  For  many 
years  before  this  date  he  was  a  broker  in  oils  at  the  same 
location,  in  the  second  story,  and  was  a  man  very  much 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES     133 

respected  in  the  trade.  He  retired  from  business  in  the 
spring  of  1897,  being  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Assessors 
of  Maiden  until  his  death,  July  24,  1901. 

The  firm  of  Frank  L.  Young  &  Kimball  has  been  an 
important  one  in  the  trade,  started  more  than  twenty- 
five  years  ago  by  Frank  L.  Young,  Mr.  Kimball  having 
been  admitted  about  1910.  They  are  now  located  at 
111  Purchase  Street  where  they  have  been  for  more 
than  twenty  years,  the  business  now  (July,  1914)  being 
conducted  as  a  corporation  under  the  name  of  Frank 
L.  Young  Co. 

Underhay  &  Co.  were  large  dealers  in  oils  for  many 
years  before  becoming  incorporated  as  Underhay  Oil 
Co.,  now  located  at  73  Batterymarch  Street,  corner  of 
Franklin  Street.  Col.  Merrow  has  been  for  a  long  tune 
identified  with  this  concern. 

Crane,  Waite  &  Co.  were  in  business  in  1868,  followed 
by  separate  concerns  of  Waite,  Williams  &  Co.,  and  L. 
M.  Crane  &  Co.  The  latter  firm  was  at  32  Oliver  Street 
in  1890,  and  is  today  doing  business  as  L.  M.  Crane  Co. 
at  91  Oliver  Street. 

W.  &  F.  H.  Whittemore  were  oil  dealers  back  of  1860, 
when  they  were  located  at  32  Broad  Street,  and  they 
were  in  business  for  thirty  or  more  years  on  that  street. 
Mr.  Samuel  B.  Whittemore  was  a  partner  for  many 
years. 

H.  N.  F.  Marshall  &  Co.  were  oil  dealers  in  the  early 
sixties  at  78  Broad  Street,  and  later  on  Fulton  Street. 

Samuel  Walker,  0.  B.  Campbell,  and  Alvah  Walker, 
as  Samuel  Walker  &  Co.,  were  in  the  oil  business  in  1865 
at  40  Clinton  Street,  where,  in  1874,  it  was  carried  on  by 
A.  Walker  &  Co.  Samuel  Walker  &  Co.  moved  to  33 


134  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

India  Street,  where  the  business  was  conducted  for  many 
years,  Mr.  George  B.  Wilbur  and  I.  Porter  Waitt  having 
been  partners  with  Mr.  Walker.  As  Samuel  Walker 
Oil  Co.,  the  business  was  sold  to  the  Standard  Oil  Co., 
and  the  surviving  partner,  Mr.  Frank  B.  Damon  is  now 
with  the  latter  concern  in  Boston,  hi  charge  of  accounts. 
Mr.  Wilbur  died  in  July,  1914,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-four. 

In  1868  D.  M.  Yeomans,  who  had  been  of  Wilkinson, 
Carter  &  Yeomans,  formed  the  firm  of  D.  M.  Yeomans  & 
Goss,  and  in  1874,  and  later,  it  was  D.  M.  Yeomans 
&  Co.,  and  D.  J.  Goss  &  Co. 

F.  W.  Gregory  &  Co.  were  active  in  the  oil  business 
for  years,  and  about  forty  years  ago  were  at  104  Broad 
Street,  where  the  Eagle  Oil  &  Supply  Co.  is  now  located. 

Frank  H.  Rowland  was  connected  with  the  oil  business 
considerably  over  forty  years  ago,  having  first  been  with 
Hastings  &  Co.,  sperm  oil  manufacturers,  New  Bedford. 
He  died  several  years  ago  but  the  business  is  still  continued 
at  271  Franklin  Street. 

Old  tuners  in  the  paint  and  oil  trade  will  recall  John 
P.  Squire  &  Co.,  who  furnished  Squire's  Extra  Lard  OIL 
also  S.  W.  Andrew,  who  sold  lard  oil  for  Western 
accounts. 

Mr.  William  A.  Wood  began  in  the  oil  business  about 
1864  as  representative  for  Hastings  &  Co.,  New  Bedford, 
and  in  1869  or  1870  he  had  a  desk  room  in  my  father's 
office,  corner  of  Water  and  Kilby  Streets,  as  selling  agent 
for  West  Virginia  lubricating  and  other  oils.  He  had 
storage  in  the  cellar  of  46  India  Street  and  he  employed 
me,  when  I  was  about  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  of 
age,  to  take  charge  of  the  shipping  of  his  oil,  and  he 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       135 

recompensed  me  in  the  munificent  (?)  sum  of  ten  cents 
for  every  barrel  received  and  delivered,  and  I  have  abun- 
dant reasons  to  remember  assisting  teamsters  in  pulling 
up  the  barrels  of  oil  from  that  cellar  by  means  of  two 
ropes,  the  barrels  rolling  on  a  heavy  pair  of  skids,  and 
I  also  attended  to  marking  and  shipping  the  goods.  My 
father  allowed  me  to  do  this  and  it  was  one  way  I  made  a 
little  money  "on  the  side."  Mr.  Wood's  business  grew 
and  he  became  an  important  factor,  occupying  stores 
later  on  Broad  Street,  124  Water  Street,  in  1876  Milk 
Street,  and  in  1895  moved  to  their  present  store,  373 
Atlantic  Avenue.  He  died  several  years  ago  and  the 
business  is  now  carried  on  by  the  corporation  of  W.  A. 
Wood  Co. 

There  were  other  concerns  in  business,  some  of  them 
very  old,  like  Eben  B.  Phillips  &  Co.,  who  were  on  Fulton 
Street  sixty  years  ago,  Leonard  Ware,  T.  M.  Ware, 
George  H.  Leonard,  Richmond  &  Pray,  afterwards  C. 
C.  Richmond  &  Co.,  who  are  at  present  at  40  Battery- 
march  Street,  and  B.  S.  Pray  &  Co.,  Bradshaw  &  Patch, 
Maguire  &  Campbell,  later  Francis  Maguire  &  Co., 
Russell  &  Blaisdell,  Russell  &  Moore,  J.  Blaisdell  &  Co., 
Ansel  G.  Foss,  Edward  O.  Merrill,  Leonard  &  Ellis, 
H.  B.  Coburn,  who  was  on  Milk  Street  for  a  number 
of  years,  and  who  had  been  a  partner  in  Alden  Speare's 
Sons  Co.  at  one  time.  This  list  might  be  still  further 
extended  but  I  will  not  weary  you  any  longer  in  this  line. 

I  would  like,  however,  to  refer  to  the  old  oil  firm  of 
Dickerman,  Barney  &  Co.,  128  Milk  Street,  who  were 
in  business  in  1859  (Mr.  Levi  C.  Barney,  Jr.,  having 
been  a  clerk  for  Speare,  Gregory  &  Co.  at  3  Central  Wharf) 
continuing  until  1864.  Many  of  the  trade  will  remember 


136  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

Mr.  Benjamin  Dickerman,  Jr.,  who  afterwards  was  a 
merchandise  broker  at  5  Chatham  Row  in  1885,  and  part- 
ner at  one  time  in  the  firm  of  Dickerman  &  Gregory, 
and  later  was  a  commission  merchant  at  104  Water 
Street,  167  Congress  Street  and  61  Bromfield  Street. 

Harrison  Prescott  also  was  a  broker,  having  an  office 
on  Water  Street,  and  for  many  years  he  was  active  in 
the  trade  and  also  gave  quotations  daily  to  the  Boston 
Traveler. 

All  of  the  older  members  of  the  paint  and  oil  trade 
will  remember  Mr.  Joseph  Harris,  Jr.,  who  was  a  brother 
of  Horatio  Harris,  very  prominent  at  that  time  as  an 
auctioneer.  Many  of  the  trade  bought  paraffine  oil 
from  Mr.  Harris,  which  was  made  by  Charles  F.  Coffin 
at  his  factory  on  Old  Harbor  Wharf,  and  it  was  a  superior 
article.  I  recall  that  Mr.  Coffin  shut  down  his  factory 
for  a  term  of  years  and  retired  to  his  home  in  Nantucket, 
being  paid  a  liberal  yearly  sum  by  the  Standard  Oil 
Co.  This  must  have  been  thirty  years  or  more  ago, 
and  it  paid  the  big  Company  to  do  it,  but  did  not  prove 
a  good  investment  for  Mr.  Coffin,  for  when  the  time 
limit  was  up  his  customers  were  gone  and  the  factory 
-  old  fashioned  and  all  out  of  condition  —  could  not 
be  used  to  advantage,  and  he  was  forced  to  give  it  up 
and  return  again  to  Nantucket,  where  I  think  he  is  today. 
He  is  an  excellent  man  in  every  way.  Mr.  Harris,  who 
also  was  an  honorable  and  upright  man,  died  some 
twenty  years  ago,  and  his  son,  Odiorne  Starr  Harris, 
or  as  his  father  called  him,  "Bub,"  has  also  died. 

In  the  early  days  all  wholesale  paint  dealers  sold  window 
glass  but  today,  with  one  exception,  none  sell  it  except 
in  a  small  way. 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES     137 

In  1846  James  Damon,  on  Blackstone  Street  (Canal 
Block),  sold  West  India  goods,  glass,  etc.,  and  in  1855 
his  son,  S.  F.,  who  afterwards  was  of  Damon,  Sherburne 
&  Co.,  came  into  the  business,  the  name  being  James 
Damon  &  Son,  at  17  Friend  Street.  The  following  year 
it  was  James  Damon  &  Sons,  Warren  Sherburne,  who 
was  a  clerk  at  40  Kilby  Street  in  1853,  being  a  partner. 
The  name  was  changed  to  Damon,  Sherburne  &  Co. 
in  1857.  Four  years  later  Reuben  Sherburne,  brother 
of  Warren,  was  admitted,  and  removal  was  made  to  87 
Friend  Street,  where  they  stayed  two  or  three  years. 
Since  1862  they  and  their  successors  have  been  at  20 
Canal  Street  and  Merrimac  Street. 

In  1872  it  was  R.  &  W.  Sherburne,  and  five  years 
later  R.  Sherburne  was  alone.  In  1880  his  two  sons, 
Edward  C.  and  Frank  S.,  were  admitted  as  partners  with 
their  father,  having  been  clerks  for  three  or  four  years, 
and  they  continued  until  1893,  when  consolidated  with 
other  firms  as  The  Boston  Plate  &  Window  Glass  Co., 
with  headquarters  in  South  Boston,  keeping  the  Canal 
Street  store  for  local  business.  All  of  the  Messrs. 
Sherburne  are  dead. 

In  1852  Caleb  G.  Loring,  Thomas  Gaffield,  Thomas  H. 
Richards,  Jonathan  Harmon,  and  James  Tuttle,  begun 
business  at  10  Merchants  Row  as  Caleb  G.  Loring  & 
Co.,  for  importation  and  sale  of  window  glass,  and  con- 
tinued seven  years  under  that  name,  although  Messrs. 
Richards  and  Harmon  had  retired  several  years  before. 
From  1859  to  1869  it  was  Tuttle,  Gaffield  &  Co.,  Henry 
F.  Lambert  being  the  junior  partner.  In  the  latter  year 
Mr.  Lambert  and  his  two  brothers,  Win.  B.  and  E.  W., 
who  had  been  clerks  for  Tuttle,  Gaffield  &  Co.,  bought 


138  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

out  the  latter  concern  and  carried  it  on  under  the  name 
of  Lambert  Bros.  They  remained  on  Merchants  Row 
until  1877,  when  removal  was  made  to  53  and  55  Brattle 
Street,  corner  of  Brattle  Square,  opposite  the  Quincy 
House,  where  they  were  until  consolidation  with  other 
firms  took  place  in  1893. 

The  firm  of  Hills,  Turner  &  Harmon,  was  formed  in 
1866  by  Edwin  A.  Hills,  F.  A.  Turner,  and  Walter 
Harmon,  the  latter  having  been  a  clerk  for  Tuttle, 
Gaffield  &  Co.,  and  their  first  store  was  at  39  Elm  Street. 
About  1872  it  was  Hills,  Turner  &  Co.,  Mr.  Harmon 
having  retired,  and  in  1874  this  concern  was  at  193  State 
Street,  with  warehouses  at  291  Congress  Street,  about 
1890,  where  they  stayed,  I  think,  until  1893,  when  they 
entered  the  Boston  Plate  &  Window  Glass  Co. 

The  present  Boston  Plate  &  Window  Glass  Co.  was 
formed  in  1893  by  consolidation  of  the  three  firms 
above  named  and  has  ever  since  successfully  carried  on 
the  business  at  231-287  A  Street,  South  Boston,  and 
at  the  old  Sherburne  store  on  Canal  Street.  The  original 
officers  were  Edwin  A.  Hills,  President;  William  B. 
Lambert,  Vice-President;  Frank  S.  Sherburne,  Treasurer; 
other  members  having  been  Frederick  A.  Turner,  D.  T. 
Kidder,  Jr.,  and  Edw.  C.  Sherburne.  The  present  officers 
are  W.  B.  Lambert,  President;  F.  A.  Turner,  Vice-Presi- 
dent; and  E.  A.  Hills,  Treasurer. 

In  1858  to  1861  Page  &  Robbins  were  window  glass 
dealers  at  11  Broad  Street,  and  I  think  hi  the  latter 
year  they  removed  to  189  and  191  State  Street.  In 
1866  it  was  Page  &  Harding,  and  a  few  years  later  it 
was  Page,  Harding  &  Co.,  composed  of  Harrison  P.  Page, 
W.  G.  Harding,  Walter  Page,  and  Gen.  Morris  Schaff  (who 


139 


is  now,  I  think,  one  of  the  Massachusetts  Gas  and  Electric 
Commissioners), and  for  a  time,  I  think,  they  manufactured 
glass  in  Massachusetts  known  as  the  "Berkshire."  In 
the  early  eighties  they  were  located  at  118  Milk  Street, 
and  remained  there,  I  think,  until  demolition  of  the 
building  to  make  way  for  the  Exchange  Club  building 
in  1893,  when  they  removed  to  451  Atlantic  Avenue, 
the  name  having  been  changed  to  H.  P.  Page  &  Co.  In 
1898  and  for  several  years  after  the  business  was  done  by 
W.  H.  Page  at  the  same  place. 

In  1879  George  W.  Wise  was  a  clerk  for  Hills,  Turner 
&  Co.,  and  for  the  next  two  years  he  was  a  wholesale 
dealer  in  window  glass  at  87  Portland  Street.  The 
following  year  he  formed  the  firm  of  Wise,  Rowan  & 
Co.  at  the  same  place.  In  1886  it  was  Wise,  Rowan 
&  Kelly,  and  in  1887  Mr.  Rowan  and  Mr.  Kelly  with- 
drew and  formed  the  firm  of  Rowan  &  Kelly  at  79-83 
Portland  Street,  and  the  same  year  Mr.  Wise  continued 
at  87-89  Portland  Street  as  Wise,  Moses  &  Co.,  remaining 
there  several  years.  Mr.  Wise  was  subsequently  in 
business  at  220  Friend  Street. 

Cutler,  Wheeler  &  Stenzel,  probably  before  1896, 
started  on  Sudbury  Street,  some  of  the  partners  having 
been  with  George  R.  Kelly  &  Co.  Later,  in  1898,  it  was 
Wheeler-Stenzel  Co.,  Bernard  H.  Stenzel  being  Treasurer, 
at  70  Sudbury  Street,  and  not  long  afterwards,  about 
1905,  they  were  bought  out  by  the  Standard  Plate  Glass 
Co.,  which  located  at  30  Sudbury  Street,  corner  Portland 
Street,  Mr.  Harry  A.  Wheeler  being  the  manager  then 
and  continuing  to  the  present  time. 

William  B.  Lovering  was  in  the  window  glass  business 
at  53  Portland  Street  in  1866.  Later  it  was  H.  Lovering 


140  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

&  Co.  at  95  Portland  Street,  then  in  1893,  at  same  place, 
Levering  Bros.  &  Soule,  composed  of  H.  A.  and  H. 
Lovering,  and  W.  G.  Soule,  who  begun  with  Wise,  Rowan 
&  Co.  (later  Wise,  Rowan  &  Kelly),  on  leaving  school 
in  1883.  Later  he  was  with  Lambert  Bros,  and  sub- 
sequently was  of  Lovering  Bros.  &  Soule.  This  firm 
was  bought  out  by  the  Pittsburgh  Plate  Glass  Co.  in 
1896,  Mr.  Soule  becoming  the  manager  at  30  Sudbury 
Street,  corner  of  Portland,  a  position  which  he  holds 
today. 

In  1902,  the  Pittsburgh  Plate  Glass  Co.  bought  out 
the  paint  and  varnish  department  of  J.  A.  &  W.  Bird 
&  Co.,  and  continued  it  with  Mr.  E.  E.  Seavey,  Jr.,  as 
manager  of  that  branch  of  the  business.  (Mr.  Seavey 
is  now  with  the  Jas.  H.  Prince  Paint  Co.)  They  took 
the  store  41-49  Sudbury  Street,  corner  Bowker  Street, 
(now  occupied  by  Gould  &  Cutler,  Inc.),  where  they 
remained  until  1911,  when  they  removed  to  the  new 
building,  99  Portland  and  42  Merrimac  Street,  corner 
Market  Street,  which  they  now  occupy.  The  home 
Company,  with  headquarters  in  Pittsburgh  and  branches 
in  all  large  cities,  is  probably  the  largest  manufacturer 
of  window  and  plate  glass  in  the  world  and  they  also 
have  controlling  interest  in  the  Patton  Paint  Co.,  Rennous, 
Kleinle  &  Co.,  brush  manufacturers,  and  Empire  Shellac 
Co. 

Mr.  George  R.  Kelly  was  for  a  time  associated  with 
the  Pittsburgh  Company  in  the  Boston  office  as  repre- 
sentative of  the  American  Window  Glass  Co.,  but  of 
late  years,  he  has  been  a  commission  merchant  and  broker 
in  glass,  with  office  at  104  Hanover  Street.  Mr.  Fred 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES     141 

W.  Cutler,  formerly  of  Cutler,  Wheeler  &  Stanzel,  is  now 
with  the  Boston  branch  of  the  Pittsburgh  Co. 

The  American  Glue  Co.,  at  present  located  at  121 
Beverly  Street,  near  Causeway  Street,  and  formerly 
at  451  Atlantic  Avenue,  was  originally  formed  in  1894 
by  union  of  the  manufacturing  business  of  Estate  of 
George  Upton  and  the  selling  business  of  the  D.  Webster 
King  Glue  Co.  George  Upton  had  been  an  important 
factor  in  the  glue  manufacturing  business,  which  was 
first  begun  in  South  Danvers,  Mass,  (now  Peabody), 
about  1808,  by  his  grandfather,  Elijah  Upton,  and  con- 
tinued by  the  latter's  son,  Elijah  Wood  Upton,  who  with 
Theophilus  Walker,  formed  about  1855  the  firm  of  Upton 
&  Walker. 

Theophilus  and  Nathaniel  Walker,  as  Walker  &  Bro., 
were  later  for  many  years  at  17  Merchants  Row,  corner 
of  Chatham  Street,  as  selling  agents  for  the  Essex  Glue 
Works.  George  Upton,  son  of  Elijah  Wood  Upton, 
meanwhile  had  learned  the  business  and  was  admitted 
to  the  firm  of  Upton  &  Co.,  and  in  the  sixties  he  was  at 
51  Kilby  Street,  D.  Webster  King  having  become  a 
member  of  the  firm,  and  he  was  on  Kilby  Street  in  1866. 
A  few  years  later  Mr.  King  withdrew  and  with  Thomas 
L.  Putnam  formed  the  firm  of  D.  Webster  King  &  Co. 
at  42  Oliver  Street,  and  in  1884  they  were  at  166  High 
Street.  Later,  at  same  place,  it  was  the  D.  Webster 
King  Glue  Co.,  which  included  Mr.  D.  Webster  Dow, 
who  had  been  with  Mr.  King  for  several  years. 

George  Upton  continued  at  51  Kilby  Street,  moving 
to  18  Broad  Street  about  1875.  He  died  in  1883  and  the 
business  was  managed  by  his  son,  King  Upton,  and 


142          HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

managing  trustees  until  merger  with  D.  Webster  King 
Glue  Co.  in  1894,  as  stated.  Removal  was  made  to  239 
Franklin  Street  in  1891.  The  officers  of  the  American 
Glue  Co.  of  New  Jersey  in  1894  were  D.  Webster  King, 
President  and  Treasurer;  King  Upton,  Vice-President ;  D. 
Webster  Dow,  Assistant  Treasurer,  and  Frank  W.  Stanley, 
Secretary. 

Later  The  Pennsylvania  Glue  Co.  and  the  Illinois 
Glue  Co.,  in  which  the  Upton  Estate  was  interested,  were 
absorbed  by  the  American  Glue  Co. 

In  1900  the  American  Glue  Co.  bought  the  Boston 
Flint  Paper  Co.,  the  Union  Sandpaper  Co.  and  the  sand- 
paper and  glue  business  of  Wiggin  &  Stevens,  whose 
factory  was  in  Maiden.  In  1902  the  Cape  Ann  Isinglass 
Co.  was  acquired.  The  combined  business  is  at  present 
conducted  by  the  Massachusetts  corporation  of  the 
American  Glue  Co.,  the  officers  being  Jesse  P.  Lyman, 
President  and  Treasurer;  King  Upton,  Vice-President; 
Everett  J.  Stevens,  2nd  Vice-President;  Roger  Upton, 
Assistant  Treasurer  and  Secretary;  and  Chauncey  P. 
Fenton,  Assistant  Treasurer. 

Mr.  D.  Webster  King  retired  from  active  business 
several  years  ago  and  with  his  son,  Tarrant  P.  King,  has 
devoted  his  time  to  management  of  his  property,  and  as 
Trustee  of  Estates.  Mr.  Albert  N.  Parlin,  who  had  been 
President  of  the  Company  a  short  time,  retired  in  1905. 

Everett  J.  Stevens,  who  had  served  a  long  time  as 
Treasurer,  retired  from  that  office  and  active  duties 
in  1908  on  account  of  ill-health. 

The  American  Glue  Co.  now  owns  or  controls  nineteen 
different  plants  in  seven  different  states  and  has  branch 
offices  and  stores  in  five  principal  cities.  Mr.  King 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES       143 

Upton's  son,  George  Upton,  is  connected  with  the  con- 
cern, making  the  fifth  in  line  of  direct  descent  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  glue  since  1808. 

Baeder  &  Adamson  were  at  18  Blackstone  Street  in 
1867,  and  ten  years  later  it  was  Baeder,  Adamson  &  Co. 
at  163  Milk  Street,  and  now  located  at  68  High  Street. 

Other  firms  were  International  Glue  Co.,  176  Atlantic 
Avenue;  Armour  Glue  Works,  49  Commercial  Wharf; 
and  the  Boston  Glue  Works,  40  North  Market  Street, 
owned  by  J.  O.  Whitten  Glue  Co.  Wiggin  &  Stevens, 
glue  manufacturers,  (started  in  Dover,  N.  H.,  in  1858, 
by  the  fathers  of  R.  B.  Wiggin  and  Everett  J.  Stevens), 
owned  the  sandpaper  works  in  Maiden,  and  first  manu- 
factured in  1865  the  N.  E.  Flint  Paper,  for  which  D. 
Webster  King  &  Co.  and  their  successors  were  for  a 
time  Boston  distributing  agents.  Mr.  Russel  B.  Wiggin 
died  in  1888,  but  Everett  J.  Stevens,  who  has  been  Mayor 
of  Maiden  for  two  years,  is  still  alive,  although  not  active 
in  business  since  disposal  of  the  business  to  the  American 
Glue  Co.  Mr.  Wiggin,  Sr.,  died  in  1860  and  Mr.  Stevens, 
Sr.,  in  1896. 

Austin  &  Eddy,  117  Broad  Street,  have  been  large 
dealers  in  glue  and  manufacturers  of  glaziers'  points 
for  many  years,  and  have  been  at  115  Broad  Street 
for  twenty  years  or  more. 

The  manufacture  of  gold  leaf,  or  history  of  the  gold 
beaters  of  Boston,  is  quite  interesting.  The  first  record 
I  can  find  pertaining  to  same  is  that  Lewis  Anselm 
Lauriat  was  a  refiner  of  metals  and  seller  of  gold  leaf 
in  1813.  In  1816  he  was  a  regular  gold  beater,  with 
location  at  33  Washington  Street,  and  in  1828  he  was 


144  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

in  the  same  place,  and  also  proprietor  of  Boston  Labora- 
tory, and  in  1845,  in  addition  to  making  gold  leaf,  he 
made  oil  of  vitriol  and  other  chemicals  at  804  Washington 
Street.  That  same  year  there  worked  for  him  three 
of  his  sons,  named  Aristides,  Emelius,  and  Gustavus 
Adolphus,  and  seven  years  later  another  son,  Charles 
P.  Lauriat,  began  as  a  gold  beater  (probably  for  his  father) 
when  he  was  nineteen  years  old. 

Gustavus  A.  Lauriat  was  in  business  for  himself  at 
12  Province  Street  in  1867,  and  probably  before,  and  at 
that  time,  and  indeed  before,  George  W.  Davis  and 
Eben  W.  Lothrop  were  in  business  as  gold  beaters,  the 
former  at  6  Spring  Lane  and  the  latter  at  16  Harvard 
Place.  In  1887,  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Lothrop,  Mr. 
Gustavus  A.  Lauriat  bought  out  and  continued  the 
business  at  16  Harvard  Place. 

Anselm  A.  Lauriat,  who  was  a  son  of  Charles  P.  Lauriat, 
succeeded  to  the  business  of  his  father,  and  for  many 
years  has  been  a  gold  beater  at  16  Harvard  Place,  his 
home  and  manufactory  being  now  in  Medford,  Mass. 

E.  S.  Cabot  was  an  old  gold  beater  of  Boston,  having 
been  established  certainly  as  early  as  1876,  and  for  very 
many  years  was  located  at  83  Sudbury  Street.     On  Mr. 
Cabot's  death,  the  business  was  sold  and  Mr.  Cabot's 
son,  Mr.  Henry  B.  Cabot,  is  now  of  the  firm  of  Cabot  & 
Higbee,  gold  beaters,  159  Harrison  Avenue. 

F.  H.  Caffin,  22  Elm  Street,  has  been  a  gold  beater  in 
Boston  and  Hyde  Park  for  many  years,  also  Edward  C. 
Ellis,  3  Province  Street,  and   F.  W.  Rauskolb  was  at 
364  Washington  Street,  prior  to  1900  and  is  now  located 
at  103  Arch  Street. 

I  recall  buying  corks  and  bungs  in  my  early  days  from 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES      145 

R.  Beeching  &  Co.,  who  were  on  Commercial  Street, 
and  later  on  Blackstone  Street,  and  later  there  was 
another  firm  of  William  Beeching  &  Co.  There  were 
also  engaged  in  the  cork  and  bung  business  E.  Conroy 
&  Co.  at  72  Sudbury  Street,  and  P.  Holmes,  at  109 
Blackstone  Street,  also  did  a  large  business  in  that  line. 

Also,  about  that  time,  Munroe  &  Harrington  and  H. 
McQuaid,  both  of  Sudbury  Street,  were  very  considerable 
dealers  and  then  Lang  &  Jacobs  sold  all  such  articles 
and  oil  dealers'  supplies.  Power  &  Co.  and  also  M.  F. 
Stinsom  &  Co.  were  old  dealers  in  corks,  and  the  Armstrong 
Cork  Co.  have  been  large  factors,  and  they,  and  some  of 
the  others  named,  are  in  business  in  Boston  today. 

The  sponge  business  of  R.  Blum,  under  the  management 
of  Andrew  Blum,  has  been  carried  on  at  108  Pearl  Street 
for  many  years,  and  so  far  as  I  know  there  never  has 
been,  at  least  for  any  considerable  time,  any  other  es- 
tablishment of  this  nature  in  Boston  devoted  exclusively 
to  sponges  and  chamois  skins. 

Our  older  members  will  recall  the  old  tin  can  manufac- 
turing concern  of  Hollis  &  Wood,  succeeded  by  C.  &  G. 
Hollis,  on  Custom  House  Street,  which  was  first  formed 
by  Mr.  Hunt  more  than  sixty  years  ago.  Also  the  Boston 
Can  Co.,  long  managed  by  Chas.  E.  Russ.  Alex.  Camp- 
bell was  a  manufacturer  of  tin  cans  forty  years  and  more 


Uriah  B.  Campbell  started  in  the  manufacture  of  cans 
about  1870,  having  been  previously  foreman  for  the 
Boston  Can  Co.,  and  before  that  had  worked  in  Hunt's 
Tin  Can  Manufactory  on  Custom  House  Street,  which 
was  the  predecessor  of  the  Hollis  &  Wood  and  Hollis 


146  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

Can  Factories.  Mr.  Campbell,  since  his  retirement, 
when  the  business  was  bought  by  the  American  Can  Co., 
has  been  living  in  quietness  at  his  old  home  in  Maplewood. 
Later  the  business  was  taken  up  by  his  sons,  and  is  now 
carried  on  under  the  name  of  the  Colonial  Can  Co., 
office  at  120  Milk  Street,  with  factory  at  South  Boston, 
the  partners  being  Charles  Campbell  and  Harold  B.  Camp- 
bell. 

Isaac  Sexton  started  in  the  can  business  in  1882,  but 
sold  out  in  1901  to  the  American  Can  Co.  Later  the 
business  was  taken  up  by  his  sons,  and  the  Sexton  Can 
Co.  is  now  a  partnership  (William  A.  and  Isaac  E. 
Sexton),  with  factory  in  Everett  and  office  at  228  Frank- 
lin Street,  and  they  are  doing  a  large  business. 

The  New  England  Can  Co.  formerly  did  a  large  busi- 
ness and  was  owned  by  Morris  Marzynsky.  The 
business  was  sold  out  to  the  American  Can  Co.,  and  Mr. 
Marzynsky  died  not  long  after.  His  brother,  Samuel 
Marzynsky,  under  the  name  of  the  New  Can  Co.,  manu- 
factures cans  for  the  trade,  with  factory  in  South  Boston. 

Some  thirty-five  years  or  more  ago,  there  were  two 
manufacturers  of  tin  cans  named  P.  Malone  and  Thomas 
Duffy,  and  many  of  the  trade  formerly  bought  cans  in 
large  quantities  from  Stokes  &  McNally,  who  were  located 
on  India  Street.  This  business  is  now  carried  on  by  C.  W. 
S.  McNally  at  45  India  Street. 

The  National  Can  Co.,  at  present  a  co-partnership, 
composed  of  Hyman  Stern  and  David  Stern,  was  formed 
in  1891  at  Minot  Street,  and  five  years  later,  moved  to 
289  Commercial  Street.  They  now  occupy  three  floors 
at  36  Washington  Street  North,  where  they  have  been 
since  1905. 


PAINT,  OIL,  VARNISH  AND  ALLIED  TRADES     147 

The  largest  manufacturing  concern,  by  far,  now  here 
is  the  Boston  branch  of  the  American  Can  Co.  The 
business  is  managed  by  Mr.  William  H.  Kirkpatrick, 
office  and  factory  on  Binford  Street,  South  Boston.  Mr. 
Kirkpatrick  went  with  the  American  Can  Co.  as  manager 
in  April,  1902,  having  been  previously  connected  with 
Sidney  Shepherd  &  Co.,  tinware  manufacturers  in  Buffalo. 
The  American  Can  Co.  has  offices  in  twenty-seven  cities 
and  has  forty-seven  factories,  including  one  in  Honolulu 
and  three  in  Canada. 

In  relinquishing  this  self-imposed  task  of  preparing  and 
revising  material  for  this  disjointed  and  very  rambling 
sketch,  I  feel  a  sense  of  loss  —  perhaps  somewhat  similar 
to  that  of  a  fond  parent,  who  after  loving  care  and  affec- 
tion, sends  his  child  to  a  far  country,  possibly  as  a  mis- 
sionary. 

Although  much  time  and  effort  have  been  expended,  it 
really  has  been  a  labor  of  love  and  a  restful  relief  from  some 
burdens  which  seemed  unduly  heavy  at  times. 

I  have  the  undesirable  alternative  of  immersion  in  the 
gruesome  details  —  whether  true  or  false  —  of  the  terrible 
war  now  raging  abroad;  but  while  they  are  not  restful, 
they  do,  nevertheless,  occupy  the  time,  instead  of  hunting 
up  matters  pertaining  to  paint,  oil  and  varnish  dealers, 
and  for  this,  perhaps,  I  ought  to  be  thankful. 

I  hope  that  this  "missionary"  will  be  well  received  and 
that  the  somewhat  necessary  personal  allusions  will  be 
tolerated,  even  if  not  fully  excused. 

I  presume  many  readers  will  heave  a  sigh  of  relief  as 
the  end  is  reached  and  I  will  not  blame  them  one  bit  and 
can  only  say  "it  might  have  been  worse."  Apparently 
there  is  no  limit,  for  the  more  research  I  make,  more  and 


148  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  BOSTON 

more  names  and  facts  appear,  which  cannot  be  included 
without  making  the  work  too  long. 

Once  before  I  referred  to  a  stray  copy  that  might  be 
found  later,  and  possibly  this  little  book  which  will  be 
soon  issued  from  the  press,  may  be  found  by  someone  who 
heard  me  read  this  production,  and  I  venture  the  thought 
that  the  reading  of  this  book,  say  thirty  years  from  now, 
will  be  of  more  interest  then  than  at  the  present  time. 
In  fact,  I  can  almost  hear  him  say  so,  provided  he  is  a 
young  chap  now,  with  the  added  remark:  "I  can  remem- 
ber that  old  guy  'spieling'  off  that  dry  stuff  that  did 
not  interest  me  very  much  then,  but  I  can  appreciate  it 
very  much  more  at  the  present  time."  So  with  this 
thought  in  mind,  I  am  launching  this  little  work  on  the 
sea  of  reminiscence,  and  doubtless  others  can  improve 
on  it,  so  that  when  another  thirty  years  roll  around 
the  sketch  can  be  the  basis  of  actual  and  reliable  history. 


ADDITIONS,  CORRECTIONS,  ETC. 


Since  the  body  of  this  book  was  printed,  I  was  very  sorry 
to  learn  of  the  death,  September  16,  1914,  of  William  B.  Bird, 
senior  partner  in  the  house  of  J.  A.  &  W.  Bird  &  Co.,  in  his 
seventy-third  year.  As  stated  in  the  text,  Mr.  Bird  had  been 
in  active  connection  with  the  paint  and  chemical  business  for 
fifty-two  years,  and  through  all  this  time  he  held  the  respect 
of  the  entire  trade. 


I  was  a  little  mortified  to  learn,  after  the  main  portion  of 
this  book  had  been  printed,  that  I  had  entirely  forgotten  to 
refer  to  my  old  friend,  Lieut.  Col.  Thomas  F.  Edmands,  who, 
as  trustee  of  the  estate  of  John  Raynor,  was  our  landlord  for 
a  quarter  of  a  century. 

Col.  Edmands  founded  the  house  of  Thomas  F.  Edmands 
&  Co.,  commission  merchants  and  merchandise  brokers  in 
chemicals,  paints,  drugs,  etc.,  in  1885,  he  being  successor  to 
Edmands,  Holden  &  Co.,  formed  in  1877.  Col.  Edmands  had 
been  since  1868  a  member  of  the  firm  of  G.  Tuckerman  &  Co. 
at  No.  25  Kilby  Street.  In  1888  William  R.  Russell  and 
Frederick  Higginson,  who  had  previously  been  hi  business  as 
merchandise  brokers  and  commission  merchants  at  No.  54 
Kilby  Street  as  Russell  &  Higginson,  consolidated  with  Col. 
Edmands,  under  the  same  style  of  Thomas  F.  Edmands  &  Co., 
and  continued  until  the  death  of  Col.  Edmands,  August  30, 
1906.  Since  that  time  the  business  has  been  conducted  by 
the  surviving  partners  under  the  same  name,  being  now 
located  at  No.  70  Kilby  Street. 

Col.  Edmands  served  four  years  and  eight  months  in  the 
Civil  War,  having  been  first  commissioned  as  lieutenant  in 
Company  K  of  the  Twenty -fourth  Regiment,  and  when  mus- 
tered out  of  service  he  was  lieutenant  colonel,  and  "brevetted 
colonel  for  brilliant  and  meritorious  conduct  throughout  the 
war."  He  served  for  thirty-three  years  as  lieutenant  colonel 
of  the  First  Corps  Cadets  until  ill-health  compelled  relinquish- 
ment  a  few  weeks  before  his  death. 


ADDITIONS,  CORRECTIONS,  ETC. 


ADDITIONS,  CORRECTIONS,  ETC. 


ADDITIONS,  CORRECTIONS,  ETC. 


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